Media Statement of the SACP in Moses Mabhida Province held on the 18th to the 20th of March 2016, Pinetown Civic Centre

23 March 2016

The South African Communist Party held its scheduled Provincial Executive Committee meeting on the 18th - 20th of March 2016 at Pinetown Civic Centre. The PEC dealt with the Political Input on topical issues and the state of politics in the country and the Province. It also received a comprehensive presentation on white paper on NHI, state of health in the Province, including a briefing on the medical students in Cuba and matters of government in Umsunduzi Municipality involving the events leading to the suspension of the Municipal Manager. The PEC also received a report on the progress around the Local Government Elections campaign and the candidates' nomination processes.

STATE OF POLITICS IN THE COUNTRY

The state of politics in the country was seen to be largely dominated by the influence of an immigrant family from India, the Gupta family, on the programs and policy direction of the ANC and the government. The debate and revelation were largely sparked by what is seen by many as a national embarrassment of the 9th of December 2015 around the fiasco on reshuffling in the Ministry of Finance resulting in the recalling of Cde Nhlanhla Nene. It is claimed that this national blunder costed the country's economy well above R500 Billion Rands. Due to the active resistance of the markets, the President had to back track his decision and forced to opt for a market friendly Minister Pravin Gordhan.

The Political deliberations also centred around what was declared as disastrous handling of the movement politics and processes, including one leading to election conferences in the ANC which, here in the province, left our alliance badly bruised, the current so called SARS WARS, pitting the Hawks against Treasury, the ongoing restructuring of state security structures with developments around McBride, Dramat and Phiyega cases, governance of SOE's increase influence of businesses and factions in our movement and the shocking verdict of the North High Court in granting parole to Hani's assassin Janus Waluz. The PEC also reflected on the increase in violent protests for service delivery now exacerbated by the Local Government Candidates Councillor Nomination Processes of the ANC.

After lengthy deliberations on the Gupta saga and perceived capture of the movement and the government by this family working in partnership with the political elite, the Provincial Executive Committee agreed on the following characterisation on recent Gupta debate:

• What we are witnessing around the events of December 2015 and the recent revelations on Gupta influence on the ruling Party and the government is in fact a clash between the wings of two capitalists class in a declining economy.
• On the other hand there is a big business with dominance of the most profitable sectors of the South African economy. On the other hand is the small upstart capitalists who are largely dependent on their closeness to high political office to make their profits.
• The phenomenon can be said to have started soon after the formal overthrow of apartheid. The dominating capital in South Africa created a whole network of corruption in order to co-opt leading figures of the liberation movement. The working class in South Africa tend to prove to be too powerful and in a good position to influence the direction of the country and its economy. Therefore, the capitalists in order to save themselves, the best bet from this point of view was to co-opt the leaders of the ANC and the government. Since the established capital were in charge of the commanding heights of the economy, the only avenue of the emerging capital were to use its close contact with high political office to get tenders and government contracts and government issued business opportunities like mining licences. Gradually, this phenomenon grew into an insatiable feeding frenzy centred around and driven through the now notorious Gupta family hence the Gupta front, who had since built personal friendship with the President. As the feeding frenzy become bigger so as the appetite has become. In this process of ever increasing looting of state resources, one state department after the other was captured. Obviously the prime enemies of this Gupta front project tend to be the established capital on the right and the SACP on the left.
• The biggest price was for the junior wing of the emerging capital was to capture the Treasury. They then came into direct conflict with the big established capital. The established capital has all along despised this emerging capital as "crass and unsophisticated". That changed on the 9th of December 2015.
• The PEC agreed with Ben Morken on the agreement that says "the two wings of the capitalist class, unable to resolve the crisis, are therefore pitched against each other in a war from which neither can escape, in the process they will use every weapon available to them, including machinery of the state in the case of the Guptas and ownership of the economy in the case of big businesses. In turn, this will only aggravate the crisis of South African capitalism and pull it into a vicious downward spiral.
• There is nothing new about the so-called "state capture" by the Guptas. South African capitalist have long ago "captured" the state. The big established capitalists like, Johann Rupert, Michiel Le Roux, Markus Jooste, Paul Harris, Nicky Opprhermer, Jannie Mouton, Koss Bekker, Christo Wiese, Herrit Ferrella and Laulitz Dippenaar, through their giant corporations and their imperialist backers, are tied by a thousand strings to the state and the economy. What we are witnessing therefore is the attempt by a certain wing of the capitalist class to wrest control of the treasury away from another section of their class".

The PEC of Moses Mabhida fully support the call by the National Leadership of the Party for a Commission of Enquiry on the Corporate Capture of the state and the movement. It must not only be directed at the ANC alone but the Alliance as a whole. The PEC call for a legislation making corporate capture a treasonous offence.

ON HEALTH

The PEC welcomed the presentation of the white paper on NHI and strongly believe that this is what should have been done immediately after 1994. However, the PEC raised concerns by the stalling of this process in trying to address the interest of the Private Sector. This is equated to the stalling of the roll out programme of HIV treatment during the denial times of Mbeki era.

The SACP agreed to a programme to call community meetings on NHI white paper and to wage a concerted struggle against capital in preventing or appropriating to itself the NHI.

The conduct of the medical students in Cuba was largely condemned. But this was attributed to the recruitment process which was abused by the well connected. The PEC urged the provincial government to continue with the Cuban training of doctors and not to follow the ideological informed change of health by other provinces to look elsewhere for training like Russia.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The PEC, after receiving briefing on the suspension of UMsunduzi Municipality Manager and voiced its disapproval and the handling of the matter. In fact there is a strong belief that the suspension of Municipal Manager of UMsunduzi carries elements of acts of corruption and purging. The PEC vowed to follow the matter very closely.

The PEC also was very worried about the progress on the nomination of Local Government Candidate Councillors and massive violation of guidelines. The outbreak of violence and protest is largely attributed to the disrespect for the ANC guidelines and prioritising of factional interest. The PEC also noted and disapproved the apportioning of blame to the SACP and consider this anti- communist and political dishonesty. In fact it is seen as a preparation of the ground to blame the Party should anything go wrong.

The South African Communist Party is very disturbed by the marginalising of the public in the nomination process for candidate councillors. The SACP resolved to stick with the choice of the masses against any factionally imposed candidate as per ANC guidelines and leadership directive. Nevertheless, the South African Communist Party will go all out for an overwhelming victory of the ANC in this forthcoming local government election and encourages people to register in numbers on the 9th and 10th of April 2016 in honour of Comrade Chris Hani. We will be holding community meetings throughout the Chris Hani Month emphasising involvement of communities in the process of nomination of candidate councillors.

In conclusion there were also heated debates involving the new Tax amendment Laws, absence of comprehensive social security, sky rocketing food prices and sacrificing of this working class in times of economic downturn. The PEC then resolved to have a joint March with COSATU on the 23rd of April 2016 to highlight the above.

For more information contact the Provincial Secretary- Themba Mthembu @ 083 303 6988 and First Deputy Secretary Matthews Ndlovu @ 082 336 9245.