19 August 2019

The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Moses Mabhida Province (KwaZulu-Natal) held its Provincial Working Committee (PWC) meeting in Ethekwini. The PWC meeting was held to assess the socio-political situation in the province and deliberated on several issues.

i) Recent developments in Ethekwini and Umsunduzi municipalities

The SACP commends the ANC leadership in KwaZulu-Natal for recalling all ANC members serving in Executive Committees of Ethekwini and Umsunduzi Municipalities. The move will go a long way in restoring the trust of the people in the ANC as a governing party. It also shows that the government is committed to fighting corruption, incompetence, mismanagement and maladministration.

Over the past few years Ethekwini Metro and Umsunduzi Municipality were driven to the brink of collapse. Corrupt elements in these municipalities coalesced and pushed the two local government structures to the edge while depriving citizens, especially the workers and poor access to basic services. Our democratic gains and achievements were undermined, which is partly why the ANC experienced electoral declines in these municipalities in the past general elections.

The recall of the Executive Committees of these municipalities must be followed by further scrutiny in the running of strategic units in Ethekwini Metro such as Transport (Metro Buses) and Security (Ethekwini Metro Police).

The ANC needs to look at the role of its caucus in the Ethekwini Metro and thoroughly scrutinise how the deterioration of governance and mismanagement slipped the organisation’s caucus within the Metro.

The SACP calls for the re-opening of all adverse forensic reports in the possession of Ethekwini Metro and swift implementation of the recommendations of those reports. The ANC leadership must also buttress the move to recall these comrades by ensuring that it deploys the most senior cadres to take over the leadership of Ethekwini Metro and Msunduzi Municipality.

The SACP also calls on the leadership of the ANC in the province to act against the councillors who engaged in the barbaric and criminal acts of destroying public property at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday 17 August, where a meeting had been called to explain the recall of Comrade Zandile Gumede. It is even worse that such criminal offences were committed by elected officials, who should be the custodians of such property.

ii) Advisory Panel’s recommendations on Ingonyama Trust

The SACP in the Moses Mabhida Province has noted with keen interest the recommendations of the Presidential Expert Panel on Land and Agrarian Reform which recommended that the Ingonyama Trust Act either be reviewed or repealed. We have also observed a lot of debates around the Ingonyama Trust and the subsequent reaction to the debate.

The SACP believes in the collective ownership of land. Communal ownership of land is thus a preferred option. While the discussion on the Ingonyama Trust continues, we must alert the people to the reality of the ongoing bad administration of the Ingonyama Trust.

The SACP in Moses Mabhida believes that since South Africa is a constitutional democracy, the debate around Ingonyama Trust must be taken to the Constitutional Court to let the highest court in the land decide on the constitutionality of the Trust. Such a move would put the matter to bed for the benefit of all the people who are staying on the land administered by the Trust.

iii) Oil spillage in Willowton and toxic mercury waste in Cato Ridge

The SACP is deeply concerned with the pollution of the environment by big companies. What is even more worrying is that these companies are polluting our environment with impunity. In almost all these incidents it is the poor who suffer the consequences of preventable environmental disasters. Already this spillage is projected to reach Inanda Dam and will definitely cause worse harm to the environment and the people if it does. This ecological disaster will not only negatively affect the ecosystem, but it will also affect the people and their livestock who are dependent on these rivers.

We therefore demand that the oil spillage in Willowton which has polluted the Umsunduzi and Umngeni rivers be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be held accountable.

We also demand that the national government take drastic steps to force the British Company, Thor Chemicals, to clean-up the highly toxic mercury waste which remains uncleared in Cato Ridge. The government has been treating Thor Chemicals with kid gloves because it does not want to damage its relations with the British capitalist government. Those relations should not be maintained at the expense of people’s lives. The 2013 projected deadline for the clearing of the waste has long since passed but nothing has happened.

iv) Withdrawal of charges against Newcastle mayor

The SACP in Moses Mabhida has also noted the withdrawal of charges against Newcastle Mayor Comrade Ntuthuko Mahlaba and is concerned that it seems some comrades are arrested simply to settle political scores. The Party calls for an investigation into the use of law enforcement agencies to settle political scores.

Charges against Mahlaba, who is also the chairperson of ANC in eMalahleni region, were withdrawn on Friday. Mahlaba was accused of being behind the 2016 assassination of eMalahleni region’s Young Communist League of South Africa leader, Comrade Wandile Ngobeni. Comrade Wandile Ngobeni was also an ANC Youth League leader in the region. It emerged in court last Thursday that some state witnesses were forced by police to implicate Mahlaba.

The SACP believes that some elements within the law enforcement agencies are being used by certain individuals to harass their political opponents. The SACP has appealed to Police Minister Bheki Cele and National Commissioner to investigate these issues. The SACP will also approach the Independent Police Investigations Directorate (IPID) and other relevant Chapter 9 institutions such as the office of the Public Protector and Human Rights Commission to investigate these matters.

In 2017 a similar incident happened when SACP Umzimkhulu District Secretary Comrade Nhlanhla Zungu was detained for a lengthy period apparently because he was not carrying his gun license – even after giving them details of his licence. Charges against him were later withdrawn.

A number of comrades have been arrested in this fashion only to have charges against them withdrawn after being humiliated and embarrassed by the police.

Not long ago an ANC Provincial Executive Committee member, Comrade Mluleki Ndobe, was also arrested purportedly for his role in the murder of Sindiso Magaqa and a few days later charges against him were withdrawn.

The SACP is concerned and deeply suspicious of these arrests and is calling for law enforcement agencies to refrain from being used by politicians to settle political scores.

Issued by the SACP Moses Mabhida Province

Contact:

Themba Mthembu

SACP Provincial Secretary

078 292 3355