To the KwaZulu Natal 3rd Provincial Congress of the SACP
ML Sultan Technikon, Durban Central
09 June 2001
Comrade Chairperson,
Leaders of the Alliance,
Delegates to this Provincial Congress
I salute this 3rd (third) Provincial Congress of the South African Communist Party (SACP) in the KwaZulu Natal Province. I bring you warm greetings from the Central Committee (CC) of our Party with the knowledge and confidence that this Congress will undertake all its tasks with commitment and vigour.
1. THE CHALLENGE OF CONSOLIDATING AND DEEPENING THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION
This Congress is taking place against the background of some major positive developments since your last Congress, even more so over the recent period. There are, from the point of view of the SACP, some important developments that we need to take account of. Firstly, the ANC's National General Council adopted some far-reaching resolutions, principally acknowledging that macro-economic stability is not a sufficient condition for economic growth and development. To this end the NGC directed the attention of the movement to micro-economic questions, such as infrastructural investment and the mobilisation of domestic capital that required equal if not more attention than issues of macro-economic stability if we are to accelerate change and development in our country.
The above perspective emanating from the NGC was translated into the President's state of the nation address, which pointed to specific projects and programmes on a state-led infrastructural investment programme. This was immediately followed by details in the 2001 budget speech around urban renewal and integrated rural development programmes to the tune of over R6 billion over the next three years. To us this was an important signal, albeit a cautious shift away from some of the GEAR constraints thus laying a basis for moving towards a consensus in the Alliance. This was in line with our emphasis on mobilising and co-ordinating domestic resources as a basis for economic development and attracting foreign investment. Whilst we should not necessarily be over-optimistic about the speed with which we can emerge with an intra-Alliance economic consensus, nevertheless we should continue to foster this kind of approach by our movement and government.
The state of the nation address was preceded by a decisive ANC's electoral victory in the local government elections. Though in KZN we did not win the majority of the municipalities, the ANC controls major municipalities, like the Durban Metro. This power at local government level, if properly deployed, can be used as a major instrument for the democratisation and development of our province. Of major importance to us as the SACP was the fact that this electoral victory was won on the basis of a manifesto that committed the movement to the provision of a free amount of lifeline service to our people. At our last CC we had already emphasised that this was an important breakthrough and that we should ensure that the implementation of this commitment should be speeded up with priority given to the poor areas of our country. For us as the SACP these commitments were important as building blocks for socialism as well as the rolling back of the capitalist market in the provision of basic services.
The new local government system in itself marked a decisive departure with the past in that it was the first truly non-racial and democratic system of local government being put in place. In addition to this we had noted in our first CC of this year that the redefinition of a municipality to include the community - partly expressed through the concept and institution of ward committees - was an important innovation and realisation of some of the long-standing struggles and demands of our people for building people's power at local level. It is our task as communists, to ensure that even in a province like KZN, where there is no legal provision for ward committees, we must struggle to build these as the most democratic expression of people's power at local level.
All the above have been taking place against the background of a growing challenge to the dominance of the Washington consensus internationally, marking the deepening of the crisis of the hegemony of the neo-liberal paradigm of economic growth. The upsurge of mass struggles, as evidenced during May Day 2001, against imperialist globalisation and the IMF's own admission of the weaknesses of its prescriptions and conditionalities, are all indications of the changing mood of ordinary people against capitalist barbarism. Our own victory against the pharmaceutical companies adds impetus to the international struggles against imperialism.
However, despite all the above positive developments, attacks against the democratic government have increased. The attack on the office and person of the President of our country points to one reality, that the media, especially large sections of the print media, in South Africa has generally positioned itself as an opposition to the democratic government.
Coupled with this there are intensified attacks on the working class, particularly its organised formations, globally and locally. The continuing job losses, restructuring of the economy in favour of bourgeois and imperialist class interests, threaten to erode and render meaningless the enormous gains made by South Africa's working class since the democratic breakthrough of 1994. This poses some very specific challenges to the Party.
2. THIS PROVINCIAL CONGRESS IS OUR REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL TO DEEPEN THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION AND BUILD A BETTER SACP
This Congress stands almost equidistant between May Day celebrations and our 80th anniversary celebrations. Our CC meeting in May noted that a growing and strong international movement against the power of the bosses marked this May Day and that imperialism is not invincible locally and globally. But this does not mean that the bosses have lowered their guard. Instead the recent upsurge in mass struggles internationally must arm us better for intensified attacks by the bosses on poor and working people of the world, not least poor and working people on our continent and in our own country.
Necessarily therefore, a central focus of this Congress must be on party building and the accelerated implementation of our Party programme. If we are to withstand and eventually defeat the bosses, it is our task as Communists to locate and build our Party into a compact, portable, flexible organ ready for any eventuality in the cause of socialism without losing sight of current struggles on the content, trajectory and direction of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR).
As Congress proceeds, let us also acknowledge and salute the work done by our Party cadres in this Province and the country as a whole in implementing our political programme and mandate. Many Communists continue setting examples in their work in the ANC, COSATU, mass movements, government and other arenas of struggle in our country. Communists played a central role in the local government election victory of the ANC in December last year. More recently, we witnessed Communist activists playing a central role in forcing 42 (forty two) multi-national drug companies, with their tails between their legs, to withdraw their court action against our government's legislation for affordable medicines. Our "Campaign to Make Banks Serve the People" derives its powerful impact from your commitment, work and struggles driven by the mandate to build a people's economy by breaking the hold of private monopoly capital in our economy, in particular financial capital.
As you know, this Province of the SACP has grown from strength to strength since the last Congress. Now we have more than 50 functional branches which actually take up local issues and implement Party programmes. We congratulate you for this achievement.
Through your work, we are truly deepening the entrenchment of our Party in the hearts and minds of poor and working people in our country. We are rooting and growing our Party, its programme and prestige amongst all sections of society. Even more impressive is the fact that we are making these advances with the minimal of financial and human resources. Truly, we are building a Party which Bunting, Andrews, Nkosi, Nzula, Mofutsanyana, Tamana, Kotane, Maliba, Mabhida, Marks, Slovo, Dadoo, Tloome, Hani and many others would be proud of. Through our work, we have laid an appropriate basis for our celebration of 80 Years of the SACP, 80 Years of Unbroken Struggle for National Liberation, People's Power and Socialism.
Consequently, we cannot underestimate how dramatically we have raised expectations that poor and working people have of us. Amidst the growth and the enthusiasm of growth we dare not lose sight of reality, we dare not fail to be as radical as reality, we dare not forget the challenges which still exist in order to strengthen our Party, our structures and the quality of our leadership. Key in these challenges is ensuring that we eventually build and consolidate a Party with functional, vibrant and strong structures nationally and in all provinces, districts and branches.
Therefore the Congress is an important platform to advance and deepen this work in the cause of national liberation, people's power and socialism. Congress will remember that our 80th Anniversary is an important launch pad for the next phase in consolidating our Party. The public evaluation of the SACP through the Workers' and People's Assemblies we have called for are a continuation of an important part of our history and traditions as a South African Communist Party, a Party which is confident of the people, their interests and passions, a Party which is not afraid of being taught by and learning from the people.
An integral component of Party building is the financial sustainability of the SACP. Many of you comrades still do not accord this work the priority it deserves. Taking forward the debit order campaign and embarking on other fundraising activities is not a side activity, but is an integral component of Party building. This Congress must, as a matter of urgent priority, come out with a clear fundraising strategy, including taking forward the debit order campaign. The challenge we are posing to this Congress is that let each and every Party member be given and meet a specified target over debit orders. We expect a resolution in this regard.
Contrary to our detractors, we legitimately raise our funds from ordinary workers. It is also for this reason that we have formally written a letter to the Minister of Safety and Security to formally investigate the veracity that some of the SBV cash heist money was given to an individual associated with the SACP. We would like to say, there is no such money that was received by the SACP, and therefore any individual who might have received such moneys under the pretext of the SACP must face a full investigation. The SACP will fully co-operate with the police, and if anyone is found guilty, he or she must face the full might of the law and justice.
3. FIGHT IDEOLOGICAL OPPORTUNISM AND BUILD A QUALITY PARTY CADRE
The last CC meeting emphasised the need to deepen and safeguard the unity of our Party and the movement as a whole. The CC also emphasised the need for all Party structures, members and leadership to remain accountable to, and actually implement the programme of our Party in practice.
One of the most important tasks in consolidating and deepening the unity of our Party is to fight and defeat ideological opportunism within and outside the SACP and the movement as a whole. Ideological opportunism manifests itself in several ways. One of its key tendencies is that of seeking to opportunistically discredit the Party where the interests of those who discredit us are best served by such behaviour. This includes attacking the Party in other structures, including the media. The root cause of ideological opportunism is careerism and an incorrect perception that in order to rise within the ANC one has to opportunistically sacrifice the programme of the SACP. It is indeed time that we openly discuss this tendency within the ranks of our Party as a basis for deepening inner-Party unity.
Another related tendency is that of the vulgarisation of Marxism-Leninsim which seeks to re-interpret it to adopt neo-liberal positions in the name of dealing wit the reality of imperialist globalisation and dominance of private capital. By pointing out this we are by no means suggesting suppression of debate or continuous reinterpretation of our ideology but this should be done in order to enhance our programme and the SACP.
In addition to fighting ideological opportunism, this Congress must also discuss questions relating to the Alliance. The last CC meeting emphasised the unity of our alliance and movement as our main weapon to defeat counter-revolution and advance our NDR. As communists we have a duty and responsibility to honestly and frankly interrogate all the difficult questions and issues facing the alliance in order to advance our revolution for the sake of our people and the unity of our movement.
As part of fighting ideological opportunism and strengthening the Alliance, it is important that we now turn a new page by getting rid of those members who are on holiday, doing no Party work and who see the Party as a part-time hobby. Similarly we must fight the practice of "traditional leadership" within our ranks - where comrades are constantly elected back onto leadership even if they do no Party work whatsoever. Communists are not just members of the Party, but they are activists. Non-functional members of PECs, DECs and BECs should have no place in our Party. Let this Congress discuss these matters frankly. Let us not protect laziness and non-activism at the expense of the Party.
4. BUILD A PEOPLE'S ECONOMY
The most important platform on which to deepen the NDR in the current period is that of economic transformation in favour of the working people and the poor.
The growing challenge to the dominance of the Washington Consensus marks the deepening of the crisis of the hegemony of the neo-liberal paradigm of economic growth. Our own victory against the drug companies adds impetus to the international struggles against imperialism and for building people-based economic transformation.
The impact and popularity of our very own campaigns for the transformation and diversification of the financial sector is an indication of the potential for the mobilisation of ordinary people against imperialist and capitalist domination, thus adding significantly to mass-driven campaigns to build an economy oriented towards serving the mass of ordinary working and poor people - a people's economy.
In arguing and struggling for a people's economy we cannot underestimate the deepening of neo-liberalism of economic restructuring in our own country. This neo-liberalism seeks to weaken and destroy the working class as a basis upon which to grow our economy in order that the bosses maximise their profits. Key in its strategy is the portrayal of the black working class as a spoilt and selfish elite which acts in its narrow interests at the expense of the unemployed. They go on to say that the black working class must not expect "too much" and that it must sacrifice itself through retrenchments because of possible employment in the future. What twisted logic!
Our local brand of neo-liberalism aggressively promotes a black African petty bourgeois agenda through a rapid and state-dependent accumulation regime which is also characterised by a parasitic and junior relationship to white capital in our country. This Afro neo-liberalism defines black economic empowerment to the creation of a black capitalist class through, amongst other things, the privatisation of state assets as a means for this rapid capital accumulation.
A critical part of building a people's economy is the rolling back of private capital and the consolidation of the public sector. Over the last five years, we have seen attempts at restructuring of state assets. By and large neo-liberal forces as discussed above have dominated the debate on this restructuring. But some recent experiences from state assets' restructuring vindicates the SACP approach for the strengthening of the public sector, and the May Central Committee call for a comprehensive review of the entire process of restructuring of state assets thus far.
Who has benefited from current restructuring of state assets? Is it our people or is the bosses? Looking at PPPs closer, we now ask questions about whether we approached them as vigilantly as we should have. We also need to begin discussing whether PPPs are the best form of engaging private capital to play a role in our country. What about focusing on public partnerships with workers and communities instead of private sectors dominated PPP's.
We call on the Congress to discuss these questions and issues in order that our Party as a whole sharpens its approach to the restructuring of state assets.
In fact, the banks campaign is a good example of what must actually be done to direct private capital in economic transformation without handing over the economy to private hands. Through this campaign whilst we seek to roll back private capital, we are also demanding that private capital must be directed to productive investment through community re-investment.
A short reflection on the banks campaign confirms that:
We also should not another important victory of our campaign, that of government's investigation of the regulation of Credit Bureaux. The Credit Bureaux Association, as a direct response to the SACP's taking up of this matter, has proposed a code of conduct for the credit bureaux. This is another important victory. We however do not believe that these institutions are capable of regulating themselves. Government must pass the necessary legislation and regulations on these hitherto faceless institutions. If we do not get satisfaction we will not rule out the possibility of testing the constitutionality of the activities and operations of these institutions.
In order to ensure that we take this campaign forward and for the people themselves to say how these credit bureaux should be regulated, the SACP is declaring the weekend of 30 June and 01 July as The Red Weekend Against Blacklisting. Each of our nine provinces will convene people's public hearings, for people to tell us about the functioning and the regulations needed to ensure that these credit bureaux operate in a transparent manner, and in a way that does not prejudice fair access to credit. Again, we are not calling for our people to leave beyond their means, instead we are encouraging savings. But we cannot allow these institutions to be a law unto themselves.
5. TOWARDS DEMOCRATIC RURAL TRANSFORMATION AND GOVERNANCE
There is no complete meeting of the SACP in KwaZulu Natal which does not discuss rural transformation and governance and the role of traditional leaders.
An unfortunate part of our legacy has been the distortion of the roles of traditional leaders by colonialism and apartheid. This legacy is being exploited by reactionary forces in this province and our country as a whole.
These forces have coalesced around a set of undemocratic demands which seek to place the interests of a small political elite above the democratic and developmental interests of the majority of the poor and working people. After an initial period of relatively peaceful and democratic governance, a political campaign was restarted based on the false argument that our country's constitution does not adequately address the roles and functions of traditional leaders in the context of a new non-racial, non-sexist and democratic political dispensation.
Using this argument, they sought to coerce us to meet their demands by threatening the December local government elections.
In recent weeks, these forces have shown their true colours again by threatening to withdraw their participation in local government structures and the delivery of local government services.
In fact, we are calling on traditional leaders not to be misled by forces that seek to attain narrow party political interests. Traditional leaders rule over millions of poor and working people whose poverty and hunger must be addressed as a priority and as a matter of extreme urgency. We expect of traditional leaders to be pre-occupied with these matters of development, working together with democratically elected councillors.
As the SACP, we call on all traditional leaders in KwaZulu Natal and the country as a whole to put the people first by defying the call to boycott local government structures and ensuring that they contribute to service delivery to our people.
It is important that we, as a country, discuss, debate and reach consensus on the role of traditional leaders in our democratic transition without being cajoled into ill-considered decisions because of threats of violence and instability. The SACP calls on all traditional leaders in our country and all South Africans to be part of this discussion through the White Paper on Traditional leaders soon to be published by Government.
The issues raised in respect of traditional leaders raises further issues in respect of rural transformation as a whole. A key aspect of this rural transformation is struggles for accelerated land reform in order to reverse Aparheid land ownership patterns. For us as the SACP this means accelerated land reform which carries with it the potential for collective forms of land ownership and use. However, this potential will not be realised without the SACP and the movement as a whole mobilising and organising our people in rural areas into a conscious revolutionary force allied to the urban based working class. This is particularly important for this province given the vastness of its rural areas. We therefore call upon this congress to develop a comprehensive programme on rural mobilisation and transformation in which the SACP plays a critical part.
6. FIGHT CORRUPTION
Day in, day out, we hear reports of corruption in all sections of our society. It is found both inside and outside government, the private sector and elements in our movement.
The many forms and guises which corruption takes in all sectors of society comprises a discussion in and of itself, suffice to say certain practices and policies create a sound foundation, a breeding ground for corruption. Take for example the plundering of state resources through privatisation in many developing countries, hall-marked as it is in so many instances by corruption and fraud and the practice of many white companies creating front companies which pose as empowerment structures in order to tender for and be awarded government contracts.
Corruption in its multitude of guises is rendered invisible by its complex and sophisticated planning and execution, by non-existent or weak law enforcement and prosecution, by lenient legal and social sanctions which fail to reaffirm and reinforce collective sentiments regarding the threat it serves to our democracy, our people and our revolutionary objectives.
The beneficiaries of corruption are none other than the elite. They benefit at the expense and detriment of our people, at the expense of a better life for our people.
We as communists cannot be and are not complicit in corruption. We have a revolutionary duty as communists to fight and expose corruption without fear and favour inside and outside our movement, our government and the private sector. Our fight against corruption is not opportunistic and aimed at scoring political points as some reactionary forces have now made a career of. Ours is a principled fight which seeks to undermine the rationale on which capitalism is based. We call on all Communists to fight corruption and all its manifestations including political patronage. We call on our entire movement and all South Africans to intensify our fight and vigilance against corruption in order to safeguard our revolution and its objectives.
7. TAKE FORWARD THE PEACE PROCESS
One of the most daunting challenges in this province is the creation of lasting peace and a climate for free political activity. We would like to salute the role played by the SACP as an organisation in working towards a peaceful KZN. In addition we need to salute many communists, like Cde Willies Mchunu, who, in their other capacities, have made an outstanding contribution in the peace process in this province. We need to ensure that we continue to nurture this process such that violence becomes a thing of the past.
We should bear in mind that there is a close relationship between peace and democracy. There can be no democracy in the climate of violence and hatred. But at the same time there can be no genuine peace without democracy. The foundation of peace should principally be building people's power, so that people are able to freely decide their own future and destiny.
Similarly, there can be no lasting peace in conditions of poverty. For us as communists, the struggle for peace should simultaneously be a struggle for the eradication of poverty. Capitalism and exploitation of our people is in the longer term not in the interests of peace. The consolidation of lasting peace is intricably linked to the struggle to end class, race and gender inequalities in our society.
8. CONCLUSION
We are raising all these issues to the Congress in order to communicate one central message - there are clearly increasing challenges facing the SACP in providing political leadership to the working class as the main motive force of our revolution.
It is a strong, independent and vibrant SACP, aligned to a strong ANC and COSATU, which will lead the South African working class in struggles to deepen our national democratic revolution and to lay the basis for a socialist transition in our country. It is an SACP aligned
The Central Committee is confident that you will not be found wanting in meeting all these challenges.
Amandla!