5 March 2019
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Eastern Cape Province convened an ordinary plenary session of the 8th Congress Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) on from 1 to 3 March 2019 at the African National Congress (ANC) Caucus Boardroom in the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. The SACP plenary session was convened for the leadership core of our Party to assess the strengths and weaknesses of our Party organisation, the state of the working class and to provide scientific solutions informed by the Marxist-Leninist outlook of the world order. The PEC is keenly aware of the need to strengthen the capacity of the Party organisation as the mainstay of the South African revolution.
The SACP PEC plenary session was attended by amongst its members, two SACP Central Committee members, Comrade Buti Manamela and Comrade Bulelwa Tunyiswa. Comrade Buti Manamela delivered a comprehensive input on behalf of our Central Committee.
The meeting received, discussed and adopted both political and organisational reports, which together with the SACP Central Committee input, served as the strategic guide to the meeting. It is through interaction with these contributions that the SACP PEC has arrived to resolutions anchored on building a strong Party ready for any eventuality in the interest of the working class.
The meeting received and discussed a presentation on the state of the trade union movement, which was delivered by Comrade Xolani Malamlela, Easterna Cape Provincial Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). The Party recommits itself to work tirelessly with both organised and unorganised workers in fighting for comprehensive social security and campaign against job losses.
The SACP in the province will roll out joint campaigns with COSATU in confronting the plethora of challenges facing the workers and the poor.
Unscrupulous religious acts
While the SACP respects the democratic right of every individual to practise religious or cultural beliefs, the SACP PEC expressed its deep concern about the recent spiralling of incidents such as rape, assault, petrol-drinking, grass-eating, fake resurrections, and other acts directed towards vulnerable communities who are being exploited in the name of religion. The Party calls for all unscrupulous elements, which only serve to line their pockets in the name of religion or any other belief to be isolated and be prosecuted consistently with the laws of our country.
The SACP also calls upon the church to take an active leadership role to avert this religious crisis underway and make necessary recommendations on how the religious fraternity can be regulated.
The energy crisis
The PEC had an extensive discussion on the crisis of the energy supply in our country, which negatively affects the economy and the lives of the ordinary people. It is our considered view that the energy crisis cannot be divorced from the crisis of capitalism and the crisis in the strategic State Owned Enterprises, particularly Eskom. The meeting acknowledged the enormous damage inflicted on these entities through a combination of poor policy decisions and corporate capture of the state and other forms of corruption.
The SACP PEC is of the view that all efforts to rescue Eskom and stabilise the energy supply in the country need NOT to be at the expense of workers. All efforts should be aimed at building the capacity of the state through these SOEs, ensuring no job losses and NO privatisation of the people’s assets. In the face of the challenges facing State Owned Enterprises we should be vigilant of what appears to be the re-emergence of the 1996 class project, which seeks to use these challenges to advance the neo-liberal agenda of privatisation.
It is in this context that the SACP calls for the renationalisation of SASOL and ArcelorMittal for energy needs of our country, amongst other reasons. The PEC fully supports the call by the SACP Central Committee and other progressive social formations for the review of the agreements between Eskom and the Independent Power Producers (IPPs). The PEC also calls for Eskom to play a leading role in the renewable energy space as part of efforts to reduce the cost of energy as a basic necessity and for the de-commodification of electricity. In the interim there should be promotion of use and ownership of coal mines directly by Eskom for coal supply to the entity.
Retrenchments in the mining sector and Government
The meeting expressed its concern about the ongoing retrenchments in the mining sector. The Eastern Cape is amongst the provinces that feel the brunt of any job losses in the mining sector as scores of workers return to the province poorer to be the burden of the state. The PEC rejects any attempt by the mine bosses to justify the retrenchments. The retrenchments are at the main driven by nothing but profit maximisation at the expense of workers.
The PEC noted with great concern what appears to be no different to the 1996 class project of bringing about a ‘lean and mean state’ through retrenchments of workers by various means including voluntarily service packages.
The PEC remains committed to the building of the developmental state with the necessary capacity, and therefore calls upon the government to set an example for all including the private sector by remaining true and committed to the job summit resolution on placing a moratorium on retrenchments.
Forthcoming Eastern Cape Budget Speech
The meeting also had a discussion on the forthcoming Eastern Cape Budget Speech to be delivered by the MEC for Finance, Lubabalo Mabuyane, on 5 March 2019. The PEC is of the view that the current moment requires a people’s budget which will prioritise sustainable economic development, decent work, a comprehensive social security, job creation, increased financial support for working class students amongst other priorities.
The Eastern Cape economy requires diversified economy as one of the cornerstones of our economic development trajectory. It is therefore important that the budget supports primary agriculture and agro-processing as a critical game changer in the province. Deliberate investment measures are thus expected in the agricultural sector to stimulate agro-processing, ocean economy, and rural development including access to clean water for all communities in the province.
The Eastern Cape budget should also priorities improving the conditions in the Public Healthcare system as part of building capacity for the rollout of the National Health Insurance and ensuring quality service to the people.
There should be deliberate interventions on the education sector to build on the improvement that has been registered in the previous year. It is important that basis for excellence is placed, by ensuring that the schools in Quintiles 1 – 3 are equipped for qualitative learning.
The Eastern Cape Province has road infrastructure challenges, which leads to many lives being lost in Eastern Cape roads. It is in this context that the SACP PEC holds a firm view that there should be more investment in the road infrastructure network which will also work towards efforts to build an affordable quality integrated public transport system. The PEC further calls for the revitalisation of the railway lines to minimise the load on the roads and to reinvigorate the development of the small towns in the province.
State of Local Governance
The meeting discussed extensively the state of Local Government in the province, which is characterised by dilapidating state of service delivery, acts of corruption and maladministration, political infighting, public protests, etc. The current situation in many of the municipalities requires decisive actions for these entities to serve their purpose of existence.
To this end, the SACP is of the firm view that the Alliance in the province must collectively intervene in the areas engulfed with these challenges.
Upcoming National General Elections
The SACP has endorsed the broad progressive thrust of the commitments in the ANC election manifesto for the forthcoming general elections. It is in this context that the SACP in the Province has started work to campaign for a decisive victory of the ANC for the people, the majority of whom is the working class. All the eight districts of the SACP have established election structures and will now work towards official launch of the Mandla Makupula Red Brigades.
Ncumisa Kondlo Commemoration
The SACP in the Eastern Cape with our Head Office shall commemorate the 11th Anniversary of the death of Comrade Ncumisa Kondlo on the weekend of 22 -24 March 2019 at Ngqushwa. At the time of her death Comrade Ncumisa Kondlo was the SACP National Deputy Chairperson, Member of the National Working Committee of the ANC. She was a dedicated communist activist, human rights and gender activist and generally a hard worker. Her commemoration shall be through various activities including the Memorial Lecture, 10km and 5km Fun Run and Sports Games.
International Solidarity
The SACP PEC strongly condemns the United States-led imperialist agenda of seeking to undemocratically change government in Venezuela and impose an unelected individual as the “self-proclaimed” interim president. The SACP recognises the elected President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and the government of the Bolivarian Republic he leads. The Party expresses its unwavering solidarity with the just Bolivarian revolution and the people of Venezuela.
The PEC wishes the SACP Central Committee delegation to Venezuela to the Bolivian Republic of Venezuela all the best in the implementation of the SACP Central Committee resolutions on Venezuela. The SACP in the province is working with its allies to organise demonstrations in solidarity with the people of Venezuela.
Conclusion
The meeting was closed in high spirits, recommitting the entire PEC and the SACP in the Eastern Cape to put more efforts in leading popular struggles of the people and to build a strong Party that is ready for any eventuality.
Issued by the SACP Eastern Cape
Contact:
Siyabonga Mdodi
SACP Provincial Spokesperson
Mobile: +2783 358 8070
Email: simdodi@gmail.com
Facebook: SACP Eastern Cape
Twitter: @SACPECmedia
