7 April 2011
The single biggest threat facing our revolution today is the danger of corruption and tenderpreneurs, who are encircling our movement like vultures to try and take over this glorious movement of Chris Hani, Elijah Barayi, John Gomomo, Oliver Tambo, Moses Kotane, Nelson Mandela, Dora Tamana, Violet Seboni, Ray Alexander, Mzala Nxumalo and many others, not to serve our people, but to enrich themselves at the direct expense of the overwhelming majority of our people.
What we are seeing today is however not a new thing. But like Chris Hani and other principled revolutionaries did then, we must also call upon all true and genuine cadres of our movement to join hands to expose and defeat corruption, tenderpreneurship and the new tendency in our movement.
We must therefore use the forthcoming local government election to say no to this tendency (and other related tendencies), and to, once and for all, reclaim our movement so that it remains true to the revolutionary traditions of Chris Hani.
In memory and in honour of Cde Chris Hani, we are calling upon all revolutionaries within the length and breadth of our movement � from the ranks of MKMVA, the ANC, the SACP, COSATU, SANCO, the ANC WL, ANC Youth League, the YCL, and from all progressive sections of our society to unite against tenderpreneurship and to defeat the scourge of corruption throughout all of society!
The above calls for an all-round intensification of our struggle against all forms of corruption, both inside the ranks of our movement, government or the private sector. We must mobilise the workers and our communities to expose this scourge wherever it occurs, and irrespective of who is involved.
Preserve the unity of SACP and COSATU in honour of Chris Hani
Cde Chris played a critical role in the building of the progressive trade union, through both his underground work and after the unbanning in 1990. He contributed immensely in cementing for instance the relationship between the SACP and COSATU. As we remember Cde Hani, it is absolutely essential that we dare not allow this relationship to be fractured.
It is therefore also important that we re-affirm some of the key principles that have underlined the relationship between the SACP and COSATU:
It is a relationship based on the understanding that the SACP is the vanguard of the working class in South Africa � a position that is not ordained, but has to be won through struggles and ideological hegemony.
That COSATU represents the largest sections of the organised working class in our country, and must deepen its struggles for the transformation of the workplace, but at the same time deeply engaged in the broader political struggles of the working class.
That both organisations, whilst having a different role in society, are committed to intensify the struggle for a socialist South Africa.
That the SACP seeks to recruit the ideologically advanced, the best from the ranks of the organised working class, but also beyond the ranks of the organised working class.
That whilst there is deep overlap in membership, the two organisations are independent formations that are duty bound to respect each other�s independence and bona fides, and that any areas of disagreement must be dealt with bilaterally and internally. In this regard both the SACP and COSATU have a duty to respect each other�s resolutions and decisions, whilst also pursuing joint programmes to advance the interests of the working class as a whole.
That both organisations have a duty to build the unity of the two organisations, both between themselves as well as internally in each. As part of building each other we need to fight against the dangers of ultra-leftism, business unionism and those who hide behind the SACP and COSATU in order to accumulate and enrich themselves.
Both organisations have a duty and responsibility to build and strengthen the ANC and its revolutionary traditions. We are not an opposition to the ANC or government, and will continue to resist any temptation of media goading that in order to be heroic organisations we must position ourselves as an opposition to the ANC and government.
Whilst as the two organisations we must reserve our right to criticise government, but this is the ANC�s government just as it is our own government. This therefore means that we also have a responsibility and role to play to strengthen government in its transformation agenda.
The SACP and COSATU in KZN will be campaigning shoulder to shoulder with our Alliance partners the ANC and SANCO in the forthcoming local government elections. The SACP and COSATU has been an active contributor to the ANC local government election manifesto and our activist cadres are already in the field in door-to-door campaigning.
The war on Libya: a new eruption of imperialist rivalry
Not since the 1930s, in the lead-up to World War II, have the conflicting economic and strategic interests of the rival imperialist powers been so openly pursued as they are in the war on Libya.
All of them proclaim their �humanitarian concern� for the lives of Libyan civilians and the so-called �responsibility to protect�. But no humanitarian veil can conceal their bared fangs.
The United States, which, it has now been revealed, had CIA operatives active in Libya well before the passage of UN resolution 1973, took the initiative in launching the attack in order to pre-empt France and Britain. They, for their part, no doubt viewed America�s economic weakness as providing an opportunity to reverse the strategic setback they suffered over Suez in 1956.
And the US has another rival on its mind. It is out to demonstrate to Beijing that no matter how rapid the growth of China�s economic ties with Africa � trade between the two increased more than 40 percent in 2010 � and no matter what political influence Chinese money and investment bring, American militarism is still capable of asserting its interests through military intervention and �regime change�.
There are divisions among the European powers as well. The conflict over who would take control of the operation after the initial US strikes was motivated in part by Italy�s concerns that unless NATO was in charge, Britain and France would muscle it out of access to the �new� Libya�s valuable oil resources.
Britain, which together with France, had carved up the African continent by the beginning of the 20th century, is looking well beyond Libya. As foreign secretary William Hague told a recent conference in London: �Britain has an ambitious foreign policy which seeks to build up our standing and influence in the world, and to support our economy� adding that �the nations of Africa� were a strategic area of British interest. Their significance was indicated by Hague�s remark that recent events in North Africa and the Middle East were �already set to overtake the 2008 financial crisis and 9/11� as the most important developments of the early 21st century.
The eruption of outright imperialist gangsterism and the emergence of open conflicts and rivalries is not just the outcome of immediate considerations. In the final analysis, it is the political expression of vast shifts in the tectonic plates of the world economy that are disrupting the political relations established between the major powers since the end of World War II.
Defending the Vulnerable and the Weak
We are quite determined to make sure that the vulnerable and weak do receive protection from the state. As the two organisations we welcome the rural safety strategy initiated by the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa. The treatment farm-workers are subjected to is the most appalling of the conditions. We remain convinced that no liberation can be worth its meaning if farm-workers do not enjoy their rights. The same should be said on the conditions of domestic workers. We therefore welcome the introduction of the Security of Land Tenure Amendment Bill which seeks to protect the interests of farm-workers and farm communities.
We also welcome the announced and declaration by the Provincial Government that by the end of April, the Loan Sharks should and must have returned to all the IDs of people that are in their possession. We are of the view that also such a call or warning be extended to farmers and employers of domestic workers. We hope and demand that this will be followed by an extensive law enforcement which must include raids by SAPS. As COSATU and the SACP we will work closely with the government and the police on a blitz in defence of the vulnerable.
The Guptas Debate
As the SACP and COSATU in KZN, we have noted the concerns about the wealth accumulation by the Gupta family, including the possibility of political connections. It is a concern that might have merits and we intend not to enter the politics of money accumulation out of principle. We must also state that capitalism remains the most ruthless, unprincipled, merciless, corrupt and morally valueless system. As we welcome this discussion, which we believe is of national interests, we must also expand beyond political sensationalism.
We remain of the view that the biggest challenge is that of the intersection between political office and private business. We should and must be able to draw the difference between business rivalry driven by politics and genuine concerns about unfair wealth accumulation. We must be engaged not only who secured a deal but also who lost on the deal. Political leadership and public office with business interests at times remains the major challenge because it impacts negatively on our organisations. We are of the view that declaration of interests should and must extend to political office also in particular to us leaders of the forces of democracy.
The other possibility also is that this is just a media business rivalry hence we get little information on the other business transactions. If it is not that then the other conclusion could be that this is seen as a better approach in tarnishing the image of the President. The recent media speculation and/or �revelations� that there are some who are on a project to replace the President and the ANC SG in 2012 cannot be taken lightly.
We are not in a campaign to protect any business people, the Guptas included, but our concerns should and must be overarching. We re-iterate that the debate on how the Guptas accumulate wealth remains relevant but we should careful not to be cajoled to that discussion by those who lost deals to them despite their own political office and influence. We must be informed for instance as to which other companies were on the bid for the Arcelor Mittal Steel deal and who were the directors. It might just be interesting to know and have an open and more informed debate.
For more information please contact:
Zet Luzipo (Cosatu Provincial Secretary)
079 514 8887/072 884 3456
OR
Themba Mthembu (SACP Provincial Secretary)
083 303 6988