SACP Poltiburo Statement

09 December 2000

The Politburo (PB) of the South African Communist Party (SACP) held its last meeting for the year 2000 on Friday, 08 December 2000. The PB focused its attention on:

• The local government elections
• Negotiations between government and traditional leaders
• The ongoing struggle against HIV/AIDS
• The SACP Programme of Action for the year 2001.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

The PB reaffirmed that the welcome victory of the ANC in our country's second democratic local government elections is a mandate to our ANC-led alliance for ongoing transformation.

During the next five years the SACP will work for the implementation of the ANC Manifesto commitment to provide all with a free basic amount of water, electricity and other municipal services. As the SACP, we will seek to ensure long term sustainability an d how to expand the amounts and scope of free services available to all.

Key in implementing these commitments is the need for ongoing struggle for cross subsidisation, increased funding levels from national government to local government and the consolidation of the public sector as the main deliverer of services and the drive r of local economic transformation.

The PB also noted with concern the decreased voter turn-out, the anger and frustration expressed by many of our people at some of the key mistakes committed by our movement in local government. These include the lack of dynamic contact by local government councillors with the people, lack of consultation, lack of substantial delivery, and many atimes, unilateralism from local government.

The SACP rejects the logic that the low voter turn-out means the maturity of our democracy which has been punted in much of our media. The SACP acknowledges that a range of factors, including insufficient mobilisation and the performance of local governmen t in the last five years as the objective basis for the low voter turn-out.

The SACP argues for ongoing popular mobilisation and participation in local government. In this regard, the SACP welcomes the legislation of Ward and Village Committees which must be built into central organs of people's power in every locality.

TRADITIONAL LEADERS

For several months now there have been substantial negotiations between government and traditional leaders.

The main demand of traditional leaders is about the positioning of traditional leaders as primary local government in rural areas and thus the displacement of democratic local government in rural areas through the amendment of the country's constitution.

The SACP argues that the role and function of traditional leaders is a matter for public debate. The SACP therefore calls on government to publish a White Paper on the role and functions of traditional leaders for broader public input and debate.

RESPONDING TO THE IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS ON THE EMERGING NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC STATE AND THE TRANSITION TO SOCIALISM

The PB also received an extensive report on HIV/AIDS. In its reflection on HIV/AIDS, the PB agreed on the following:

• The HIV/AIDS pandemic has reached serious proportions in our country and continent. Already, it is having an immense and devastating impact on families, communities, the working class and the poor, the economy, the public health system and social service s. Unless addressed dynamically it can undermine all of our transformational objectives.
• This serious crisis situation calls for extraordinary measures, honesty, optimism, courage, leadership and vision which we all had to fight and defeat apartheid, which we still need in order to advance our revolution in all fronts. The pandemic challenge s all of us to respond to our collective duty and to go beyond narrow political and sectoral interests.
• The SACP calls for a forward-looking and transformative mass campaign in order to reduce the rate of new infections and to increase public education, openness, care and support for people and families living with HIV/AIDS. However, only real development through a radical improvement in literacy, provision of social services, meeting the basic needs of our people and employment when combined with an effective mass campaign can produce results.
• The SACP calls on unions and workers to campaign to ensure that Medical Schemes, Pension/Provident Funds and the Insurance Industry do not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS and that they actually provide meaningful benefits to People living with HIV/ AIDS.
• The SACP calls on all South Africans, including government, to lead a mass campaign to ensure that the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association drops its court action against the South African government in respect of access to affordable drugs. This cam paign must also be linked to as programme to fast track the provision of affordable drugs to treat HIV/AIDS related infections and to an international campaign for access to affordable treatment for the entire African continent and the rest of the under-de veloped world.
• The SACP also calls for the integration of the impact of HIV/AIDS into our economic and social policy planning. This will include the provision of appropriate social services, the expansion of the public health system and the mobilisation of sufficient r esources in order to meet this crisis that could overwhelm us in the next few years.
• Further, the SACP calls for communication and co-operation between government, health care professionals and activist organisations in order to harness all our energies to fight the pandemic.
• The SACP commits itself to play a key role in all of the issues raised above and other challenges posed by the pandemic.

The PB also noted with pride that many members of the SACP are leading activists against HIV/AIDS in government, NGOs and community organisations. As part of systematising, coordinating and deepening our own work on HIV/AIDS and harnessing the energies, in put and role of these SACP activists the PB approved the formation of a high-powered SACP HIV/AIDS Campaigns Committee to be led by the SACP General Secretary, Blade Nzimande. The Committee is also made up of Convenors of SACP Central Committee Commissions and key HIV/AIDS activists in our country.

2001 PROGRAMME BUILDING PEOPLE'S POWER FOR A PEOPLE'S ECONOMY

The PB adopted the theme Building People's Power for a People's Economy as the theme for the 2001 Programme of Action of the SACP. This programme has the following core components:

• The consolidation of the public sector, primarily through its defence and extension, in key areas including education, health, water, municipal services, central banking, development finance, transport, communications, electricity supply, energy includin g liquid fuels, mineral rights and housing. This also means the upsizing of the capacity of the democratic state to transform the economy in favour of the working class and the poor through directing, disciplining and rolling back the private sector in our economy particularly in the provision of basic services to our people.
• The ongoing SACP led Campaign for the Transformation and Diversification of the Financial Sector (including the Private Banking Sector, the Insurance Industry, the Pension Fund Industry and Public Financial Institutions). The key components of this Finan cial Sector Campaign will include the collection of demands from all our people from January to March, a National People's Conference on Chris Hani Memorial Day (10 April 2000) and a Chris Hani Month of Mass Action (all of April 2000) directed at the Priva te Banking Sector.
• Campaign for the Building of Co-operatives
• Building Organs of People's Power centred around strong,vibrant and popular Ward and Village Committees
• The struggle against HIV/AIDS as discussed above
• Celebrating the SACP's 80th Anniversary. Key in this will be the convening of People's and Worker's Assemblies across the country in order to conduct a public evaluation of the SACP, its history, its programme and the way forward in the struggle for socialism.

GREETINGS OF THE SEASON

The SACP passes its good wishes for Christmas and the New Year to all South Africans, and all struggling people in the world.

CONTACT
Mazibuko K. Jara (surname Jara)
Department of Media, Information and Publicity South African Communist Party
Tel: 011 339-3621/2
Fax: 011 339-4244
Cell: 083 651 0271
Email: sacp1@wn.apc.org