Comrade General Secretary,
the National Office-bearers and
Central Committee members of the SACP present,
foreign delegates/guests,
provincial leaderships of the SACP,
delegates representing the African National Congress, COSATU and
other formations of the mass democratic movement,
comrade delegates, comrades and friends.

On behalf of the Central Committee of the SACP I greet you all and welcome you to this all-important 10th Party Congress of the South African Communist Party (SACP).

We refer to this Congress as all-important, not just because it is fashionable to refer to every Congress as all-important. This Congress requires of us to take full stock of the last 7-8 years since the unbanning of our Party and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The past 7-8 years has been fairly turbulent for our Party. It is for this reason that we should be proud that as South African communists we are gathered here today to re-affirm our commitment to socialism and map a way forward. We have held our red banner very high despite the many temptations to abandon socialism and communism in the light of the collapse of Eastern European socialism. We therefore should be proud of ourselves for being communists who have not abandoned their vision and the struggle of the working class and the mass of the poor people in our country. We should also be proud of the fact that we are gathered here at this Congress stronger than ever as the SACP even after 40 years of being banned by the National Party. Ironically it is the very same NP that banned us in 1950 that is now facing the prospects of disintegration and disappearance from the face of South African politics, whilst we, communists, still remain a force in our country.

Over the past 7-8 years our Party has gone through a very difficult and complex period. Between 1989-91 we witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union and other socialist countries in Eastern Europe. This was of course a testing time for all communist, socialist and other left-wing forces worldwide. It was even more so as the imperialist forces embarked on a triumphalist ideological offensive that history has come to an end and proclaimed that capitalism was the only route to solving the problems facing humanity. This was indeed a setback to the struggle and advances of the working people inaugurated by the Great October Socialist Revolution in Russia. The collapse initiated a massive debate within our own Party as to its implications for the struggles for socialism.

In the midst of the collapse of Eastern European socialism, our party was unbanned. This necessitated the rebuilding of our Party from being a small underground organisation into a legal and bigger organisation. This of course meant that we had to devote a lot of our energies in rebuilding our Party against the background of the Eastern European collapse. This posed new challenges both at ideological and political levels.

Soon after the unbanning the apartheid regime unleashed massive counter-revolutionary violence directed primarily at the national liberation movement in order to weaken our people in the run up to negotiations. This called for the defence of our organisations on the ground whilst simultaneously advancing our struggle to rid South Africa of apartheid. This counter-revolutionary violence was also aimed at preventing the national liberation movement from establishing itself legally inside the country.

It was as part of this counter-revolutionary offensive by the apartheid regime that our former General Secretary and a true hero of the South African revolution was gunned down by the enemies of our revolution. This was indeed a serious blow to our Party. This cowardly act was aimed at destroying our Party, but this has failed. Nevertheless the loss of Cde Chris contributed to the complexities of the challenges we have been facing as the SACP. We are dedicating this Congress to the memory of Cde Chris, to say that his death was not in vain, and also to say that at this Congress we are, and in his memory, rededicating ourselves to all what he stood for.

Exactly a year after the assassination of Cde Chris Hani, the ANC-led forces won an overwhelming electoral victory, thus necessitating that we focus our attention to governance and the defence of the gains of the democratic breakthrough. This required of us to release hundreds of our leading communist cadres into the various layers of government. All of us had to focus our attention on setting up democratic structures of governance, thus taking away valuable time from building and strengthening party structures.

All these major events, which the Central Committee report is going to elaborate upon, were taking place within a relatively short span of time and at a bewildering speed. Much as we reflected on these in our 9th Congress, but at the same time some of the implications of these developments had not really sunk. The significance of this Congress therefore lies in the fact that now that we have had a period of serious internal reflection and debate, it is time that we adopt a programme that will map a way forward in the struggle to consolidate and deepen the NDR and the struggle for socialism in our country. It is also time now that we clearly spell out our vision for socialism and how the struggles for the consolidation of the National Democratic Revolution should simultaneously lay the basis for a transition to socialism.

In the debates during this Congress, as we reflect on the past and map the way forward, we should not allow ourselves to be detracted by those who are opposed to the ideals we stand for as well as those who are cynically sneering at us from the sidelines. For instance we must not allow ourselves to provoked by the media that in order to assert our independence we should oppose what the ANC is doing. Our independence as the political vanguard of the working class is not going to be defined by opposition to the ANC, but by our vision of a working class led NDR and a vision for socialism.

Similarly we must not allow ourselves to be detracted by those who are questioning what we mean by socialism today. Much as this question is important for us, we must not answer it in order to satisfy these cynics, but we must answer it in order to provide a way forward for the mass of our people, who stand to gain most from a socialist South Africa. Our struggle for socialism is not going to be won by us spending most of our time trying to convince our cynics, much as ideological engagement with them is important. But the struggle for socialism will be won if we convince the majority of the working people of our country about the appropriateness of socialism. It is not our detractors or cynics who are going to take us to socialism, but it is the mass of our people, led by the working class who are going to realise our socialist goals. Usually this cynicism is at its core anti-socialist and anti-Communist.

Let me then take this opportunity comrades to warmly welcome all of you, particularly our foreign delegates. Your presence here further testifies to the resilience of working class internationalism, and that it is only through working class solidarity on a worldwide scale that capitalist barbarism will finally be defeated. We will be introducing our foreign delegates at the appropriate time to the delegates gathered here.

Let me also thank the current leadership of the SACP at all levels for the work that they have done to ensure that our Party remains a force in South African politics. Without your dedication comrades we would not be where we are today, nor would we be convening this Congress.

With these words comrades I declare the 10th Congress of the SACP open. And I therefore call upon the General Secretary to present the Central Committee report.

Blade Nzimande
Acting National Chairperson