4 July 2019
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Free State held its eighth Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) ordinary plenary session of its 7th Provincial Congress in Bloemfontein from 29-30 June 2019. This plenary session received and discussed a political input from our Party Central Committee, the provincial political and organisational reports. The PEC further received detailed analysis of the recent provincial and national elections.
The PEC further discussed the recent Auditor General’s (AG) report on municipal and provincial finances as well as a presentation on the genesis of challenges confronting the Congress Movement in the province.
The ANC-led alliance must use its electoral majority to serve the people selflessly
The PEC appreciated the overall support the electorate gave to the ANC to continue to govern and noted the decline in percentage both nationally and in our Free State province. The electoral support is an opportunity for the ANC-led alliance to respond selflessly to the socio-economic and developmental needs and aspirations of society, especially in working class and poor communities. The call to turn South Africa around essentially integrates the need to systematically tackle the worsening systemic challenges of poverty, unemployment, inequality and underdevelopment in the country.
The PEC admitted that in our province, the drop in voter support was occasioned in part by the subjective weaknesses within our movement and government. These relate to challenges of factionalism, lack of service delivery, corruption and overall poor political management of governance across our municipal and provincial government institutions. The PEC agreed that only a functional alliance in the province that engages in meaningful, systematic and programmatic interactions can respond decisively to these challenges and ensure that the manifesto commitments and the confidence society showed on the movement is not in futility.
In order to restore the capacity and integrity of the movement and government to intensify the pursuit of the objectives of our struggle and to build a better life for all, the PEC agreed that there must be practical action in the province to root out state capture and burst asunder all parasitic and corrupt networks in all our municipalities and provincial departments, in line with the national drive. The PEC further agreed on the urgent need for focused attention on many incomplete government funded projects, such as incomplete houses across the province.
The PEC agreed to give practical meaning to the call for all its structures and members to be all-round community activists who must distinguish themselves in their communities through selfless service. This includes vigilance in ensuring that the democratic government delivers on all the commitments in the manifesto and responds consistently to challenges and needs of communities. In this regard, the SACP congratulated SACP PEC member, Comrade Dibolelo Mahlatsi, who has been deployed to the legislature. The PEC urges them to serve the people of South Africa selflessly. The PEC further agreed on the need to urgently engage the ANC internally on the names of some deployees we are sternly displeased by their deployment.
Auditor General’s report
The PEC is extremely worried by the state of all municipalities and provincial government in the Free State. The Auditor General’s (AG) report laid bare the deteriorating state of finances for municipalities and provincial government departments. The dilapidating financial viability and sustainability of our municipalities and provincial departments remain significantly hampered by systematic irregular, unauthorized, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
The PEC remains convinced that whilst the entrenched old apartheid era spatial planning contributes to some of the challenges in municipalities, the major problems are also related to poor political management of governance and brazen corruption, including corporate capture within our municipalities and provincial departments. The culture of looting and wasting tax payers’ money with impunity is entrenching and must be arrested immediately.
Actions similar to the forensic investigations instituted by the Executive Mayor in Metsimaholo Local Municipality which revealed, amongst others irregular expenditure of up to R21 million paid before taking office for a Sports Complex that does not exist must be replicated across the province and be followed by prosecutorial action aimed at recovering public money where acts of corruption are proven.
The PEC agreed with the CC perspective that to consistently address challenges in our movement and the state requires in part that “our Alliance is thoroughly reconfigured as a basis of deepening its strategic relevance and building its capacity to achieve its historical mission”.
The SACP will take practical steps aimed at convening an Alliance Summit focusing on local and provincial government, including the Free State Development Corporation (FDC) to address the glaring challenges the AG outlined. The SACP will use the summit as an internal alliance platform to share a deeper and frank analysis on the state of governance in the Free State and share its perspective on how to address these challenges. The PEC further agreed that the SACP must have separate bilateral engagements with COSATU and SANCO for proactive response and focused actions with workers and communities on issues raised by the AG. These actions must also focus on challenges regarding payment of workers’ salaries as well as third party payments across the government institutions in the province.
Maluti A Phofung Municipality
The PEC expressed serious reservations and concerns on the worsening situation at Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality. Whilst the SACP respects ANC internal processes, the PEC remains convinced and reiterates its caution that the targeted removal of 17 councilors at Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality is unwarranted and unnecessary. In this regard, the PEC agreed to meaningfully engage the ANC on a consensus seeking consultation that should allow all these councilors to remain its councilor candidates that must be supported by the alliance as a sound political approach to the situation.
Issued by the SACP Free State Province
Contact:
Bheke Stofile – SACP Free State Provincial Secretary
Mobile: 071 600 4899
Phillip Kganyago – SACP Free State Provincial Spokesperson
Mobile: 071 896 0157
