Statement of the SACP Western Cape Provincial Council
29 March 2008
The SACP Western Cape held its Provincial Council on the 29 March 2008 at the University of the Western Capes DL1 Lecture Hall to discuss and reflect on its performance since its election and to chart the way forward for the remainder of its term. The Council, which had a full quorum, was attended by deployed Central Committee members, PEC and the following districts; Cape Town Metro, Boland, West Coast and Young Communist League. The provincial council analyzed the international, domestic and provincial political economy and reflected on the progress made and challenges encountered in the process of building working class hegemony, for a socialist oriented national democratic revolution.
On the political economy of the Western Cape Key amongst the deliberations was the socio-economic challenges facing the Western Cape. In reflecting upon the progress registered since the 1994 democratic breakthrough, the provincial council noted with serious concern that the province remains racially segregated and patriarchal, with socio-economic disparities and inequalities continuing to block significant redistribution of wealth and transformation. The rising levels of unemployment, the decline in the matriculation results and the continued subjugation of our people to poor health conditions were highlighted as manifestations of these disparities.
On the South African Road to Socialism & State Power debate The provincial council resolved that in 2008, the party will be implementing the resolutions of the SACP 12th Congress in line with our Medium Term Vision. The provincial council further confirmed that our road to socialism is consolidating, advancing and deepening a working class-led, socialist oriented national democratic revolution, whose immediate programme is guided by the emancipatory values of the Freedom Charter. The Party has identified the immediate tasks of the SACP, in our road to socialism, as that of building working class hegemony that is gender sensitive in all sites of power, prioritizing the state, the economy, the workplace, the community, ideological and the international as critical terrains of struggle. In respect of the Sacp 12th National Congress resolution to convene a national conference within 12 months to engage with the need for the SACP to contest state power in elections in the context of a reconfigured Alliance, the council resolved to undertake preparatory discussion at branch and district level to prepare the Sacps Western Cape input at the national conference.
On the analyses of the ANCs 52nd National Conference The SACP in the Western Cape is of the view that there exist 2 extremes by which the ANCs Polokwane National Conference is analysed.
One extreme suggests that besides the leadership change, there had been no shift in policy and direction of the ANC. Another extreme suggests that the change in leadership has resolved the problems of our movement. In its analyses the Sacp Western Cape Provincial Council confirmed that (1) Polokwane opened up the necessary democratic space within the ANC away from an attempt to demobilize the masses and to reduce the ANC into a mere elections tool, (2) Confirming that the ANC as a national liberation shall return to its tradition of mass mobilisation and mass based action to drive the process of social and economic transformation. In this regard ANC branches were called upon by the ANC president to form street committees to combat crime at community level, (3) Concluding that the Alliance and the broader mass democratic movement will be drawn closer to the political centre. In this regard the National Alliance Summit planned for April 2008 is a welcome development. The Provincial Council also confirmed that the African National Congress remains the only vehicle at this conjuncture that is capable to deliver our commitments as enshrined in the Freedom Charter.
On the ANC in the Western Cape The provincial council took note of the ANC Secretary Generals report to the 52nd National Conference which defined the ANC Western Cape divisions as follows;
At the last NGC we pointed to the problems of political disunity and lack of cohesion as a source of serious concern in the province. We noted then that, when the ANC was in opposition we were more united and cohesive. Now that we have access to public c resources, the demon of factionalism has reared its ugly head. Two years later it is clear that these problems have not been resolved, and in many respects are even worse than they were before. Matters have been made even worse by problems related to the coordination and interaction between provincial government and the ANC in the Western Cape Province. ANC comrades deployed to government and those elected to lead the ANC simply fail to listen to each other, thus once again raising the question of the ANC as the ultimate strategic centre of power and creating the perception that there are two ANCs - one in government, and the other outside of government. The province has recently seen ongoing campaigns of ill discipline by some members, especially during regional conferences in 2005 and in the build up to the 2006 local government elections. Organized groupings waged a campaign for their own ends, which led, in some cases, to the disruption of branch, regional and provincial meetings of the movement
As we approach the ANC Provincial Conference in June 2008, the SACP calls on all ANC members to ensure that we work towards maximum unity within the ANC in the Western Cape guided by the Polokwane turnaround strategy and organisational renewal. The Sacp further calls on ANC members to ensure the election of a leadership collective with a proven history, commitment to a radical NDR, commitment to the Alliance capable of strengthening the democratic character of our movement, a leadership that encourages frank engagement/debate within the ranks of the ANC, willing to serve people of the province without any personal favors or gains, open and comradely engagements within our liberation movement, reflecting amongst others: allies, youth, women, MK Veterans, western cape demographics etc.
On the Escom national crises The Provincial Council notes with great concern that Eskom in the midst of the electricity crisis is increasing the user fees by close to 60%. The SACP in the province fully supports calls for a moratorium on these planned increased as the working class and the poor will be the most affected by these increases. It is not a secret that the working class and the poor are being made to pay for neo-liberal policies that our government imposed on the working class and the poor since 1996. We further call upon on government to review corporate tax, as this could be an instrument to raise more revenue to assist in this crisis. The Sacp in the Western Cape is in full support of the call for a National Peoples Energy Summit.
On Education The Provincial Council noted that access to education has improved but that quality education has deteriorated with particular reference to the impact of economic barriers such as school fees, school uniforms, and purchase of stationery by parents etc, which effectively mean that the youth from working class and poor families will not access quality education. It further noted that many historically disadvantaged institutions of higher learning in 1993 had no engineering facilities and in 2008 still do not have such facilities that would create skills for the economy and address the unemployed in our country. In collaboration with the trade union movement and alliance formations, we need therefore to jointly develop a programme of action to intervene in this area including the implementation of Polokwane resolution in education and YCL programme of free and quality education. A complete overhaul of the national education is required and in this regard the Sacp Provincial Council calls for the nationalization of education in the interest of the working class and the poor thereby ensuring that the skewed allocation of resources to private and model c schools comes to an end.
Organisational development of the Sacp in the Western Cape The Council resolved that the Party will enhance and entrench the culture of communist activism in the province, build a communist party that is capable of realizing the objectives of the MTV and position the SACP in the position as a the vanguard of the working class and the poor, intensify ideological work and build dynamic and functional branches and workplace forums. Organisational development will not occur in isolation from key issues that affect working class communities such as health, education and housing, which will form core element of the Partys programmes in the Province. In forging working class unity a concerted effort will be made to build branches in minority areas and to particularly recruit and address the concerns of working-class women. As we advance our programme we will work closely with the African National Congress and Congress of South African Trade Unions in a reconfigured alliance to ensure an overwhelming victory for the alliance in the 2009 general election. The nature of the action will be defined more clearly at an Alliance Summit to be held before June this year.
Key elements of the Sacps Western Cape program of action In ensuring that the Sacp work amongst the working class and the poor, April will see work in the province to celebrate the contribution of the late Chris Hani to our liberation movement and the cause for socialism, May will see an Sacp mass march to the provincial administration to demand an accessible and better public health care system. Key within our program of action would be a call for the convening of a provincial peoples housing summit to deal with the acute housing crises in the Western Cape.
Provincial leadership of the Sacp The Provincial Council filled leadership vacancies of the provincial collective (with particular reference to the vacancies of Provincial Deputy Chairperson and Provincial Treasurer) and in this regard the provincial leadership is constituted as follows:
Karl Cloete Provincial Chairperson, Jackie van Breda newly elected Provincial Deputy Chairperson, Khaya Mgaxa Provincial Secretary, Jazze Mokoena Provincial Deputy Chairperson and Fred Gona newly elected Provincial Treasurer.
The Provincial Council also confirmed 3 PEC vacancies with the following comrades: Freddie Aaron (Atlantis), Simon Biko (Saldanha) and Velile Waxa (Knysna)
Passing away of the Sacp National Deputy Chairperson The provincial council saluted the immense contribution made by Cde Ncumisa Kondlo in the struggle for liberation and socialism. In this regard the Sacp together with the ANC will be hosting a memorial service on 31 March 2008 at 18h00 in Site C Blue Hall, Khayelitsha.
CONTACTS:
Khaya Mgaxa, SACP Provincial Secretary: 083 721 0221 or Karl Cloete, SACP Provincial Chairperson: 071 3406797
