Statement of the 6th Provincial Congress of the SACP in Mpumalanga

Monday, 17 July 2006

The SACP in Mpumalanga congress held over the past weekend, 14 - 16 July 2006, a successful 6th Provincial Congress.

The congress was held at Waterval Boven FET College and was attended by 300 voting delegates from branches, District Executive Committees, the PEC and the Young Communist League.

Congress was addressed by the ANC, COSATU, SANCO, PUDEMO, cde William Lubisi on behalf of the Central Committee of the SACP and the National Secretary of the YCL.



Congress resolved on the following key issues:

• State and Economic Transformation

The state is a contested area by capital and that is why capital will continue to fight tooth and nail to gain its control, through hook or crook. Continue to fight for access to resources through the manipulation of the state using blackmail and corruption. The Communist party believes that it through the state control of means of production that it can maximise its capacity to respond to the challenges of the society, especially the poor and working class.

However the question that remains is who will fight for this ideal if it is not the SACP, but the SACP is not an NGO and it cannot use the NGO approaches to this. It therefore resolved that SACP should continue to contest state power, even if it means through standing on its own, given that the ANC, owing to its nature, may necessarily not be able to move to socialism in future nor may favour state control of natural resources as a solution to the future.

Lastly, the communist party in Mpumalanga feel that establishment of a university in the province is a necessity given the challenges above and from the cost point of view, given that sizeable number of people in its populace is poor.

• Gender and Social Transformation

Congress recognise that gender relations forms the core of the class struggles and that the struggle for women emancipation form the shackles of cultural stereotypes in the society and patriarchal arrogance. Congress acknowledged the challenge that inadequate understanding of challenges women face in a capitalist society.

Congress then resolved that a workshop on the challenges facing women in a capitalist society must be convened. The workshop must assess the extent of access to means of production by women. As some form of preparation for future capacity to engage on the challenges above the party will advocate for the state to focus on capacity building that will ensure capacity of state to manage natural resources.

Party Building

Finally, congress acknowledged that for the above tasks to be realised, the SACP will have to concentrate on building its internal capacity and therefore committed itself to recruit and nature as many members as possible.

In order to improve the administrative efficiency of the SACP and ascertain that the SACP is at the coalface of issue at a local level, congress resolved that the party should review the effectiveness of the current configuration of branches and considers the possibility of aligning its branches and districts to municipality boundaries. Conference decided that a commission be set up to look at the implication of implementing this resolution.

In concluding its business congress elected the following comrades as members of the PEC:

Provincial Secretary : Cde Majuba Bonakele

Provincial Chairperson : Cde Madala Masuku

Provincial Treasurer : Cde Fisani shabangu

Provincial Deputy Secretary : Cde Adrian Williams

Provincial Deputy Chairperson : Cde Theledi T K

Additional Members:

1. Solly Mnguni
2. Eric Kholwane
3. Milton Morena
4. Violet Siwela
5. Freddy Mathebula
6. Lemius Mashile
7. Moses Marobela
8. Given Ngobeni
9. Justice Masota
10. Jabu Mndebele
11. Lucky Mbuyane
12. Fidel Mlombo
13. Manono Tsema
14. Busi Skhonde
15. Silas Nkonyane

Issued by the SACP Mpumalanga

For Information Contact:

Cde Majuba Bonakele

SACP Mpumalanga Provincial Secretary

082 885 5947