Constitution and rules of the South African Communist Party

CONSTITUTION AND RULES OF THE SOUTH
AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY

This constitution was
adopted at the 7th Party Congress in 1989. The current
constitution, based on this one, was adopted at the 8th Party Congress
in December 1991

I NAME

The name of the organisation shall be the South African Communist Party
(SACP).

II SYMBOL AND FLAG

The symbol of
the Party shall be a black star containing a gold hammer and sickle.
The flag of the Party shall be red with the symbol placed in the top left-hand
corner.

III AIMS

The Communist Party is the leading political force of the South African
working class and is its vanguard in the struggle for national liberation,
socialism and peace in our time. The ultimate aim of the Party is the building
of a communist society, towards which it is guided by the principles of
Marxism- Leninism. The establishment of a socialist republic in South Africa
requires that political and economic power be firmly placed in the hands
of the working class in alliance with the rural masses. To this end, the
Communist Party aims:

to end the system of capitalist exploitation and establish a socialist
republic based on the common ownership of the means of production;

to organise, educate and lead the working class in pursuit of this
strategic aim and the more immediate aim of winning the objectives of the
national democratic revolution which is inseparably linked to it. The main
content of the national democratic revolution is the national liberation
of the African people in particular, and the black people in general, the
destruction of the economic and political power of the racist ruling class,
and the establishment of one united state of people's power in which the
working class will be the dominant force and which will move uninterruptedly
towards social emancipation and the total abolition of the exploitation
of man by man;

to participate in and strengthen the liberation alliance of all classes
and strata whose interests are served by the immediate aims of the national
democratic revolution. This alliance is expressed through the liberation
front headed by the African National Congress;

to spread the widest possible understanding of the ideology of Marxism-Leninism
and its application to South African conditions, particularly among the
working class;

to combat racism, tribalism, sex discrimination, regionalism, chauvinism
and all forms of narrow nationalism;

to promote the ideas of proletarian internationalism and the unity
of the workers of South Africa and the world, and to participate in and
strengthen the World Communist Movement.

IV MEMBERSHIP

All South Africans over the age of 18 who accept the programme and
policy of the Party, undertake to carry out its decisions and to work in
a Party organisation in any place and under conditions determined by a
higher organ, and pay whatever dues are decided upon, are eligible for
membership. The Central Committee shall have the authority to waive the
minimum age requirement in any individual case.

The recruiting of a member requires the unanimous decision of a Regional
Committee, or, where no such committee exists, of the Central Committee,
or any unit or group mandated by the CC to carry out recruiting.

The Central Committee shall from time to time lay down rules and regulations
which oblige applicants for Party membership (unless specially exempted)
to serve a probationary period under the supervision of a Party structure
prior to being accepted as full members.

All decisions by Regional Committees under sub-sections (b) and (c)
above (including decisions rejecting applicants) shall be reported to the
Central Committee which shall have the power to reverse or amend such decisions.

V RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF MEMBERS

The organisational structure of the Party is based on Leninist principles
of democratic centralism.

All members shall have the maximum opportunity permitted by existing
conditions to take part in the discussions and formulation of Party policy
and the right to participate in the election and selection of all the higher
organs.

All decisions taken by higher organs are absolutely binding on all
lower organs and individual members. The minority is always subordinate
to the majority. To secure the unity and cohesion of the Party, members
are obliged to defend the Party and its policies and to carry out its decisions.
Members are accountable to the Party for all acts and omissions in the
implementation of Party policy and decisions.

Unless specifically exempted by the Central Committee or a Regional
Committee, every member has a right and a duty to belong to a Party unit
and to take an active part in its work. It is also the duty of every member
to be an active participant in any other organisational structure within
the Party to which they have been elected or allocated.

It is the right and duty of members to strive constantly to improve
their understanding of the guiding ideology of Marxism-Leninism and its
application to our specific South African conditions. All members must
ensure that they are fully acquainted with the Party Programme, with Party
policy on current questions and with all decisions, journals and documents
issued by the Party.

Every member has a duty, in his or her personal conduct, to act in
a manner which will bring credit to the Party and to be a standard bearer
of the highest communist ethic and morality.

Members who take an active part in fraternal organisations or who are
engaged in other mass work have a duty to set an example of loyalty, hard
work and zeal in the performance of their duties and are obliged to carry
out decisions of that organisation.

The Central Committee shall take steps to ensure that criticism and
self- criticism are practised and encouraged at all levels of the Party.

V CONGRESS

The highest authority of the Party shall be a Congress which shall
be called not less than once in every five years.

The Congress shall consist of members of the Central Committee and
delegates and appointees from the rest of the membership. The latter shall
constitute a majority of those who take part in the meeting. The method
of election and selection of such delegates and appointees shall be determined
by the Central Committee prior to each such meeting, and shall, as far
as conditions permit, be based on the elective principle with all Party
regions represented in proportion to their membership.

Those attending the Congress are not bound by any mandate on any question
and are free to discuss and vote in accordance with their own individual
views and conclusions. It shall however be the duty of delegates to convey
to Congress the majority views of their regions or units on any questions
discussed.

The Congress shall discuss the reports of the Central Committee, examine
and decide the policy of the Party and is the only authority with power
to elect the General Secretary, National Chairman and members of the Central
Committee and to revise the Programme and Constitution of the Party. The
Central Committee shall ensure that all members receive draft reports and
other documents at least two months prior to the Congress. All comments,
resolutions and proposals on such reports and documents shall be tabled
at the Congress.

The Congress shall elect the General Secretary and National Chairman
together with eighteen other members who shall constitute the Central Committee.
The officers and other Central Committee members shall hold office until
the next Congress. The method of election of the General Secretary and
National Chairman shall be by ballot if there is more than one nomination.
In the case of the other members of the Central Committee, the following
procedure by secret ballot shall apply:

Each delegate shall enter eighteen (18) names of his or her choice
on a ballot paper.

The ballot paper shall then be handed to the newly elected General
Secretary and National Chairman who shall, after counting the votes, announce
the names of the two comrades who polled the highest number of votes. In
the case of a tie vote involving more than two comrades, the said officers
shall have complete discretion as to which two to announce.

The General Secretary, National Chairman and the aforementioned two
comrades shall then constitute the electoral college with a discretionary
mandate to select the balance of the Central Committee, whose names will
not be announced. In making this selection the electoral college shall
take into account the voting figures as the most important guide, but it
has power to depart from these figures for extraordinary reasons such as
security and balanced representation. In the event of a tie in the electoral
college, the General Secretary shall have a casting vote.

All comrades who have been duly elected to the Central Committee at
and after the 5th Congress and who are in enemy prisons shall, unless they
have been duly excluded from Central Committee membership, automatically
retain their membership of the Central Committee during their detention
and after their release.

VII THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Unless otherwise provided in this Constitution, the Central Committee
shall have the same powers as the Congress to direct the work of the Party,
determine all questions of policy and to issue binding instructions and
directives to all levels of the Party. It shall:

Meet at least once a year in plenary session. All draft political reports
to be considered by the plenary session of the Central Committee shall
be timeously circulated to all regions and units for comments and criticisms.

Determine all procedures for the appointment, election and removal
from office to all Party subordinate structures.

Ensure that all officers, regional committees, other Party structures
and all members carry out their duties effectively.

Stimulate and provide education in Marxist-Leninist theory for all
Party members and promote cadre development.

Inform and guide the membership on current political development and
(subject to the consideration of security) also provide information on
the Party's organisational activities. For this purpose it shall issue
documents and a bulletin for inner-Party circulation at least every three
months.

Represent the Party nationally in its relations with other political
parties and organisations.

Direct and control the national Party press and publications. h) Manage
and control all Party property and funds.

Have the right by a two thirds majority to remove or suspend any of
its members from serving on the Central Committee for any conduct detrimental
to the Party. The Central Committee shall determine its own procedures
for taking such action.

The Central Committee shall have the right to appoint five candidate
members of the Central Committee who shall have the rights and duties of
Central Committee members except the right to vote.

Have the right to replace any member of the Central Committee who is
permanently incapacitated, dies or is removed from the Central Committee
in terms of this Constitution.

VIII POLITICAL BUREAU

The Central Committee shall meet immediately after the Congress and
shall elect from its members six other members all of whom, together with
the General Secretary and the National Chairman, shall constitute the Political
Bureau (PB).

The PB shall conduct the current work of the Party and shall exercise
all the powers and functions of the Central Committee between meetings
of the Central Committee, except those powers and functions which this
Constitution specifically reserves for the enlarged or plenary Central
Committee members.

The PB shall meet at least once every two weeks. It shall appoint whatever
administrative structures it deems necessary to facilitate the carrying
out of its decisions between meetings of the PB.

Any member of the Central Committee may, by invitation of the PB, attend
any of its meetings.

The PB may fill any vacancy that occurs from among the members of the
Central Committee. A comrade so appointed shall not have voting rights
until the decision has been ratified by a plenary session of the Central
Committee.

The PB shall have the right by a unanimous decision (excluding the
comrade affected) to suspend any comrade from the PB and/or Central Committee
membership for any conduct detrimental to the Party. Such a decision shall
be in force until the next Central Committee meeting which shall either
confirm, reverse or amend the PB decision subject to the provisions of
Paragraph VII(i).

IX QUORUM

In the Central Committee twelve members shall constitute a quorum and
in the PB four members shall constitute a quorum.

X DUTIES OF THE GENERAL SECRETARY AND THE NATIONAL CHAIRMAN

(a) The General Secretary

The General Secretary shall be the leading public officer of the Party
and a full-time official under conditions of service determined by the
Central Committee. The General Secretary shall be an ex-officio member
of all Party structures and shall:

Keep (or cause to be kept) the minutes of all Central Committee and
PB meetings and such other books, records and archives as may be required.

Attend to the correspondence of the CC and PB, maintain regular personal
and written contact with all the regions and (subject to considerations
of security) keep the membership informed on the work of the CC and PB.

Ensure that members of the CC are kept informed of the work of the
PB in between meetings of the CC.

Draw up (or cause to be drawn up) all reports and documents as may
be decided upon by the CC or PB.

Be replaced by an Acting General Secretary appointed by a plenary session
of the CC if, between Congresses, he or she is permanently incapacitated
or vacates his or her office, or is suspended from office by a unanimous
vote of the PB or by a two-thirds majority of the CC for acts detrimental
to the Party. In the event of an Acting General Secretary being appointed
by the PB, he or she shall hold office until the next Plenary Session of
the CC which shall have full powers to elect a General Secretary to hold
office until the next Congress.

(b) The National Chairman

The National Chairman is a public officer of the Party and an ex-officio
member of all Party structures. The National Chairman shall:

Preside at all meetings of the CC and PB, and shall conduct the business
in conformity with the constitution and other rules of procedure adopted
by these bodies.

Have a deliberative vote only.

In his or her temporary absence be replaced by a member elected for
the purpose of carrying out the Chairman's duties at a particular meeting.
The Chairman shall be replaced by an Acting Chairman if he or she is permanently
incapacitated, vacates his or her office or is suspended from office by
a unanimous vote of the PB or by a two-thirds majority of the CC for acts
detrimental to the Party. In the event of an Acting Chairman being appointed
by the PB, he or she shall hold office until the next plenary session of
the CC which shall have full powers to elect a Chairman to hold office
until the next Congress.

The Political Bureau shall appoint a Finance Committee and shall designate
one of its members as the convenor. The Finance Committee shall:

Under the direction of the PB take all necessary measures to ensure
that the Party is provided with sufficient means to carry out its political
and organisational tasks.

Disburse such funds as the CC or PB authorises by general or specific
mandate.

Be responsible for the safe-keeping and administration of all property
and monies of the Party.

Keep such books of accounts as will clearly record and reflect the
financial position of the Party and submit statements of income and expenditure
to the PB at intervals to be determined by it.

Under the direction of the PB present financial reports to the plenary
session of the CC and to every Congress.

XI REGIONAL COMMITTEES

Regional Committees may be constituted by the CC in suitable geographic
and industrial areas. All Party units within such an area shall fall under
the immediate jurisdiction of the Regional Committee.

The members of the Regional Committee and its convenor shall be appointed
by the CC after each Congress. In making the appointments, the CC shall
seek and take into account the recommendations of the outgoing Regional
Committee. The number serving on each Regional Committee shall be at the
discretion of the CC.

The CC may, at its discretion, reconstitute the Regional Committee
at any time during its term of office.

The convenor of the Regional Committee shall preside over its meetings
and shall be the officer responsible for maintaining regular and effective
contact with the CC and providing it with all reports and information as
directed by the CC from time to time.

The Regional Committee shall meet at least once in two weeks and the
majority of its members shall constitute a quorum. A region may be permitted
to meet less often only on good cause shown to the CC.

The Regional Committee is responsible for controlling and guiding the
political work of the units which fall under it. More particularly, it
must ensure that every unit:

Meets regularly (not less than once in every two weeks) and participates
fully in all Party activities.

Guides its members in their political work.

Continuously raises the political understanding and theoretical level
of its members.

Is kept informed of all Party decisions, discussion, documents and
directives, and

Is encouraged to express its views on current political developments
and all aspects of the Party's work which should be conveyed timeously
to the CC.

All questions raised in units which require guidance or decisions from
higher structures shall, in the first place, be determined by the Regional
Committee. In the case of those questions which touch on national policy
or whose importance merits special consideration by the CC, the Regional
Committee shall seek the guidance of the CC but shall, at the same time,
discuss and convey its own recommendations to the CC.

The Regional Committee shall, from time to time, recommend to the CC
the scale of membership dues (if any) for its region and shall deal with
any income derived from such dues (or from any other sources) in accordance
with directives from the CC.

The CC may direct that a number of units falling under a Regional Committee
should be constituted into a branch with a Branch Committee appointed by
the regional committee and answerable to it. In such event the CC shall
also define the relationship between the Branch and the Regional Committee.

XII UNITS

Units whose maximum size shall be determined by the CC for each region
shall be constituted by the Regional Committee from the membership in its
area of jurisdiction. The Regional Committee may alter the composition
of a unit as the need arises;

Where there is no Regional Committee or for any other special reason,
the CC may constitute units or other structures falling directly under
the CC;

Each unit shall have a convenor who shall be appointed by the Regional
Committee to convene and preside over its meetings and be responsible for
maintaining contact with the Regional Committee or Central Committee as
the case may be;

Units shall meet at least once every two weeks and shall strive to
fulfil the tasks of units set out in Section XII(f) above. A unit may be
permitted to meet less often only on good cause shown to the Regional Committee.

XIII INFORMATION ON MEMBERSHIP AND PARTY STRUCTURES

Subject to the provisions of this constitution,

no member shall, without the permission of the CC, directly or indirectly
divulge the facts of his or her membership of the Party or the identity
of any other member to any unauthorised person;

no member shall, without the permission of the CC, directly or indirectly
transmit to any unauthorised person any information connected with the
existence, identity and functioning of any Party structure in any area
or region.

No member shall, without the permission of the CC or Regional Committee,
display or circulate any internal Party documents to any person outside
the Party or to members other than those authorised to receive such documents
from such a member in terms of this Constitution. No member shall leave
any internal Party document unattended in circumstances which may lead
to its unauthorised exposure or loss.

For purposes of sub-paragraph (a) an 'unauthorised person' means any
person except those who are known to one another as Party members because
they belong to the same unit or other structure, or those who are introduced
to one another by a higher organ for reason of Party contact or other similar
purposes.

The Regional Committee shall also have the power to exempt a member
from the restrictions contained in paragraph (a)(i), but this power shall
only be exercised in connection with the approaches authorised by the Regional
Committee for the recruitment of a new member.

XIV DISCIPLINE

A member who is guilty of a breach of any provision of this Constitution
or of any other conduct detrimental to the Party may be expelled, suspended
from membership for a fixed period, reprimanded or disciplined or punished
in any other manner to be determined by the CC.

The Regional Committees shall have the power to suspend members or
impose lesser forms of punishment which shall come into effect without
the prior approval of the CC. But such measures shall be immediately reported
to the CC, which has the power to amend or reverse them.

Expulsion can be imposed only by the CC acting either on its own initiative
or after receiving a fully documented recommendation from a Regional Committee.

Members have the right to appeal to the CC against any disciplinary
measures within 30 days after being notified of the decision. All appeals
must be submitted through the Regional Committee concerned which shall
forward the appeal together with all other relevant documents to the CC.

The lodging of an appeal shall not postpone the operation of the measure.

A suspended member shall, during the period of suspension, be obliged
to carry out all tasks assigned to him or her by the Regional Committee.
Such a member shall not be allowed to attend meetings of any Party structure
during the period of suspension except by special invitation.

An inactive member may be lapsed from membership by the Regional Committee
which shall report such a decision to the CC together with all relevant
information. The CC may confirm, amend or reverse such a decision.

Any member expelled from the Party shall have the right to appeal against
such expulsion in writing to the next Congress. The written appeal shall
be forwarded to the PB within three (3) months of the date the member is
informed of his or her expulsion.

In all cases of disciplinary action against a Party member under this
section, he or she shall, if the circumstances permit, be confronted with
the charges against him or her in writing and be given an opportunity of
fully stating his or her defence before any action is taken or recommended
to be taken.

XV ALTERATIONS TO THE CONSTITUTION

This Constitution may be amended by a majority vote at the Congress.

All proposed amendments to the Constitution shall be submitted in writing
to the CC not less than two months prior to a Congress. The CC shall ensure
that all regions and units receive such amendments not less than two months
prior to the Congress and all comments received shall be tabled at the
Congress. and units receive such amendments not less than two months prior
to the Congress and all comments received shall be tabled at the Congress.

SACP

South African Communist Party

Constitution and rules of the South African Communist Party