21 February 2016
The SACP Augmented Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) met at Steve Tshwete municipality in Ephraim Mogale District on 20 January 2016.
The Augmented PEC was attended by deployed leaders from the Central Committee deployee, the PEC, officials from the four districts of the SACP in Mpumalanga Province, being Ephraim Mogale, Harold Molobela, Gert Sibande and Phillip Radede districts. The meeting was was attended by the provincial office bearers of the Young Communist League of South Africa, Congress of South African Trade Unions, South African National Civic Organisation as well as delegates from the Communist Party of Swaziland and the Swaziland Solidarity Network.
On organisational growth
The SACP in Mpumalanga Province continues to grow.
The Augmented PEC, however, emphasised that the recruitment programme should not compromise qualitative growth. The meeting thus adopted a political education programme which commits the SACP to monthly political schools.
The YCLSA`s Bua Thursdays programme, Memorial Lectures, Cadres and Socialist fora and the oncoming Provincial Winter Political School will also complement this political education programme and enhance our efforts to build more fighting soldiers for socialism.
Campaigns
Since the beginning of the year, the SACP has held successful campaigns which include the Joe Slovo Commemoration Campaign including memorial lectures, the Know Your Neighbourhood Campaign and the Back To School Campaign.
The SACP will be intensifying the Financial Sector Campaign targeting reckless lending and exorbitant repayment interest rates by institutions such as the Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency. More focus will be placed on the four banking oligopolies that dominate the banking sector in our country, Absa (Brclays Africa Group Limited) Standard Bank, First National Bank (FirstRand Bank) and Nedbank as well as insurance companies and microlenders who are ravaging our people with high bank fees, insurance premiums with claims often turned down and unscrupulous lending practices.
The campaign will also target Mpumalanga`s overpriced Toll Gates.
Meeting with the National Police Commissioner
The SACP held meetings with the National Police Commissioner regarding the political killings in Mpumalanga. The commissioner promised to investigate the cases and give regular feedback. Indeed since that meeting we have seen the the reinstatement of the case on the killing of SACP leader, Comrade Bomber Ntshangase.
We have also noted with concern that while the SACP was picketing against political killings outside the court during the trial against the alleged killers, a group of young people wearing ANC t-shirts held what seemed like a well-planned counter-picket with posters reading "Hands off DD Mabuza". This is extremely disconcerting and does more harm than good on the person of Comrade DD.
As far as the SACP is concerned, DD Mabuza is not an accused in the murder of Bomber Ntshangase. The use of his name to counter the SACP`s campaign for justice against political killings raises a lot of questions and leaves much to be desired. There is no reason in principle why Comrade DD must not nip the the behaviour in the bud.
We call on the police to investigate those who participated in that picket. Perhaps they have an answer to the question that the people of Mpumalanga Province have been asking for all these years as to who are behind the political killings in the province.
Anti-corruption campaign
The SACP committed itself to strengthening the anti-corruption campaign to fight lumpen and parasitic tenderpreneurs. The SACP in Mpumalanga Province believes that the struggle against corruption is a just struggle.
Police brutality
The Augmented PEC noted with concern the increased police brutality since the appointment of the new provincial commissioner of police, Mr Bethuel Zuma. We call for an urgent investigation to allegations that the police are using live ammunition to deal with peaceful community protests, particularly at Kanyamazane, Pienaar and the surrounding townships. The investigation must be wide-ranging and cover the brutality against peaceful workers protests at the Steve Tshwete municipality.
The SACP condemns apartheid-era-style violent suppression of genuine community demands. We believe that these latest acts of police brutality undermine all the efforts of the democratic movement to turn the police from being seen as the enemy of the people to being a police service in defence of the people.
We call upon the police not to allow themselves to be used to further selfish political interests of people who want to cling on to power even when they are being overwhelmingly rejected by our people. We call on the police to defy any illegal instruction to kill our people.
Local government elections
The Augmented PEC meeting noted that there were many challenges that were making it difficult for the SACP to support the ANC in the forthcoming local government elections. This includes:
The meeting, however, reaffirmed the resolutions of the Special National Congress of the SACP held last July to support the ANC during the local government elections on condition that the candidates are democratically elected with all due processes and requirements fulfilled and have been endorsed by their respective communities. The SACP will not support imposed councillor candidates!!
May Day Rally
The meeting endorsed the decision by COSATU to hold its May Day rallies in areas where the ANC lost more votes during the 2014 general elections.
State of the Alliance
The meeting noted:
The SACP in the province will engage the Central Committee to implement the Special National Congress resolution on the CC Committee on State Power and Electoral Options, namely:
"The Alliance Political Council decisively and speedily intervenes in provinces and regions where Alliance relations have deteriorated and degenerated to unfortunate and unacceptable levels."
The SACP in Mpumalanga province will engage the Central Committee to speed up the release the reports of the ANC Integrity Committee and Veterans investigations into the Kanyamazane invasion of an SACP meeting as a matter of urgency, at least before the elections.
Jobs Bloodbath and Lily Mine disaster
The Augmented PEC meeting characterised the continued jobs bloodbath in Mpumalanga as an attack on the National Union if Mineworkers (NUM) and COSATU in particular and the working class in general as these will inevitably lead to the weakening of the labour movement, increase in inequality, unemployment and poverty.
The retrenchment of 800 workers at Optimum mine, the notification to close Arnot mine and loss of 1700 jobs, and the planned closure of Highveld Steel leading the loss of 2000 jobs, the expulsion of workers at UMbhaba will cause a social crisis in the familes of the affected workers. The meeting called on an urgent intervention by government to prevent the loss of so many jobs.
The SACP believes that the Lily Mine management put the profits ahead of people`s rights by focusing on low-cost rescue mechanisms which led to the two more collapse of the mine, thus prolonging the rescue mission by two more weeks.
The SACP calls on all efforts to speed up and rescue the three workers who are still trapped underground and for thorough investigation into this tragedy.
International solidarity
The SACP reaffirmed its commitment to work with the liberation movements in Swaziland and to campaign for the unbanning of all political organisations in Swaziland, the release of political prisoners, including the South African citizen, Comrade Amos Mbedze who is serving 85 years in Mswati`s prison cells.
The SACP will be participating in all campaigns in solidarity with the struggle for democracy in Swaziland. The Augmented PEC called on the South African government to investigate the allegations of criminal activities from the Swailand embassy in South Africa.
Issued by SACP Mpumalanga Province
Enquiries:
Bonakele Majuba - Provincial Secretary, 082 968 4877
Lesetja Dikgale - Provincial Spokesperson, 076 869 4360
Nomusa Keninda - Media Liaison, +27 (72) 7414050