19 May 2020

SACP Mpumalanga Augmented PWC calls for the prioritisation of lives over profits in the fight against Covid-19

The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Mpumalanga Province held its first virtual Augmented Provincial Working Committee (PWC) meeting since the national lockdown as a result of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. The meeting took place on Sunday 17 May 2020.

PWC members, District Secretaries from Phillip Radebe, Ephraim Mogale, Harold Molobela and Gert Sibande districts as well as the Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA) in Mpumalanga participated in the meeting.

On the handling of Covid-19

The Augmented PWC commended the work of the National Command Council and resolved to continue to support the South African government for its handling of Covid-19. The government is particularly commended for focusing on saving lives and ensuring that the devastation of the pandemic does not reach the proportions that have been seen in some of the European and Western countries.

The meeting also noted with concern the outright rejection of artemisia treatment by some sections of the world, instead of co-operating with Madagascan scientists to test its efficacy. The treatment was developed by Madagascar as a preventive and curative remedy.

The Augmented PWC also calls upon the imperialist superpowers to desist from perpetuating colonial stereotypes that the West and Europeans are superior and have the monopoly of wisdom. Keeping other nations perpetually dependent on the West and reducing them to mere consumers while the imperialists continue to maximise profits, is one of the key elements of neo-colonialism.

We further call upon the World Health Organisation to defend the intellectual property and patent rights of African scientists.

Prioritising profits over lives

The Augmented PWC rejects the opportunistic calls by some bourgeois political parties, such as the DA which prioritise profits over the lives of our people by constantly calling on the government to open the economy. These reckless demands expose the capitalist economic system for what it is; inhuman and barbaric. The DA does not care about the lives of our people, particularly the working class and poor. As calls for movement from Risk Adjusted Strategy Level 4 to 3 or even lower, we trust that our government would do so in a responsible manner. However, we reject the wholesale movement from one level to the other just to please those who are interested in immediate gratification – such as the lifting of prohibition on the sale of tobacco and alcohol.

Service delivery and the Special Covid-19 Grant

The Augmented PWC welcomes the introduction of the Special Covid-19 Grant and calls upon the government to come up with some permanent measures on eradication of poverty, inequality and unemployment.

Covid-19 has also exposed a high level of poverty and lack of access to basic services by our people, such as water. Following the outbreak of Covid-19, financial resources were suddenly mobilised to buy water tanks to supply water to poor communities in the fight against the disease.

While acknowledging and appreciating the good gesture displayed by some businesspersons and benevolent members of the community who mobilised resources to buy food for the needy, we know that sometimes such gestures are utilised for nefarious factional purposes.

We would appreciate if all mobilised resources could be deposited into the solidary fund as pronounced by the President and that all food be handled by the Department of Social Development so as to avoid allegations levelled against certain politicians.

Education

The Augmented PWC is of the view that the reopening of schools is a very sensitive matter which must be handled with care. Not all children must return to school at once. The safety of the teachers should also be taken into account. Thus, all precautions must be taken to ensure that the schools are safe before learners return.

Healthcare

The Augmented PWC welcomes the deployment of Cuban doctors and salutes the government and the people of Cuba for their selflessness and continued internationalist medical solidarity to augment our fight against Covid-19.

We call on the Provincial Government to enhance the capacity of the hospitals in the province, particularly in the epicentres of the Covid-19 in the province, such as Nkomazi and Pixley Ka Isaka Seme, to ensure that they are capable of handling the challenges posed by the disease.

The SACP in Mpumalanga also notes that there seems to be decreased attention paid to other ailments since the outbreak of Covid-19. We thus call upon the government to ensure that this pattern does not continue and that those who have other ailments continue to receive healthcare services.

Political Lectures

The SACP in Mpumalanga will, starting from Saturday 23 May 2020, conduct political classes to strengthen the Party and cadres of the liberation movement with the correct theory to analyse the challenges posed by the current epoch of our revolution and be able to map-up and execute appropriate strategies for the attainment of the socialist transition to an egalitarian and classless communist society in our lifetime.

Issued by SACP Mpumalanga

Contacts

Lesetja Dikgale
Provincial Spokesperson
+2776 869-4360‬‬‬‬‬