18 June 2014
The SACP welcomes the practical nature of the State of the Nation Address as delivered last night by His Excellency the Honourable President Comrade Jacob Zuma. Obviously our expectations as the Communist Party go beyond a single State of the Nation Address or a single centre of power and struggle. However, we see this as a significant and practical step in advancing and deepening the National Democratic Revolution, which to us is a process of change the logical conclusion of which is an indispensable advance towards socialism.
We welcome the introduction of our shared perspective for a second radical phase of our democratic transition in government policy. This must be the beginning of the transformation of ownership and control function in our economy, particularly in its commanding heights. For this transition to succeed, it is essential that we eliminate the prevailing structural features of our economy, internal and external, responsible for the reproduction of inequality, unemployment and poverty.
The Communist Party wishes the perspective of the second radical phase of our transition to go beyond government policy and become part of the fabric of our social being. We are currently at the foundation of this transition. For it to succeed, our macroeconomic policy must be reviewed to target the objectives of radically reducing inequality, unemployment and poverty coupled with increased industrialisation and manufacturing. The NDP must accordingly be realigned.
The SACP called for a Mining Indaba to look at the transformation of this sector, which constitutes the base of the South African economy. We welcome the commitment to hold mining houses accountable to their licensing conditions and to the Mining Charter, particularly the implementation of their responsibilities such as housing, community development, environmental restitution, ownership and workplace transformation through among others employment equity. We want the licensing conditions to be revised and strengthened. The mining sector must be realigned to our national development objectives.
The SACP welcomes the focus on building a prosperous South Africa based on production, particularly industrialisation and manufacturing. South Africa`s natural resources endowment is a key strategic advantage. Therefore our raw materials must be used to produce finished products locally, rather than predominantly exported. This transformation, along with the progressive target of 75% state procurement of locally produced goods and services and the strengthening and adequate resourcing of our Industrial Policy Action Plan will contribute immensely in localisation and productive work, thereby certainly reducing unemployment.
Infrastructure development is a key enabler for this transformation. The emphasis on energy infrastructure expansion through a mix involving a transition from fossil fuels to cleaner and renewable sources is essential. Equally importantly is infrastructure development in the areas of clean water and sanitation for both household consumption and industrial use. As part of this platform to transform and expand our productive base, communications was also addressed positively in terms of roads and rail, information and communication technology infrastructure.
Land reform and agrarian transformation must be seen to be part and parcel of our programme for national production. Beneficiaries of this transformation must be supported to advance productive land use. The whole programme must alter the relationship between urban and rural areas by developing rural areas economically and making them desirable places in which to live.
Access to education and health have already been considerably expanded in the last five years of the President Zuma ANC-led administration.
Based on the record of the last five years we have full confidence that the programme announced by the President on education, skills development and health will be achieved with greater expansions to access. To the Communist Party, skills development is fundamental for the transformation and advancement of our economy and employment; further, we also see education in general as a means to develop and broaden the worldview and raise the socio-cultural level of our people.
We look forward to the completion of the implementation of National Health Insurance which should provide universal and quality healthcare. In the past five years the life expectancy of our people increased and infant mortality decreased, due to the recognition of the causal link between HIV and AIDS and the devastating impact of the two in our society compounded by the further link with TB. The President Zuma ANC-led administration developed and implemented decisive Antiretroviral Therapy, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV and TB treatment. We have confidence that this programme intensified will lead to a further increase in life expectancy and decrease in infant mortality, reduction in the rate of HIV infection through thoroughgoing prevention towards a complete stop and an HIV-free society.
We applaud the recognition of the problem of drug and substance abuse and call on the one hand for community based programmes to educate and mobilise the youth in particular as the most affected to lead the fight against this scourge. We call on the other hand the state to introduce ruthless laws against the importers, manufacturers and dealers of these drugs including actual life imprisonment, and the confiscation of all property belonging to convicted drug dealers across the entire chain. Drugs not only kill individuals but also destroy the social fabric. This must be seen to be linked with our economic transformation programme which must expand access to productive work.
We welcome the programme to clean South Africa through mobilisation of the people. This in itself will imbue the spirit of genuine patriotic pride and social responsibility on the part of every citizen, young and old.
As the Communist Party would like to see the involvement of the whole population in every aspect of national development.
Issued by the SACP
Contact:
SACP Media and Communications Department
Alex Mashilo - Spokesperson
Mobile: 082 9200 308
Mobile: 060 343 1192
Office: 011 339 3621/2
Website: www.sacp.org.za
Twitter: @2SACP