12 January 2023

The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Western Cape congratulates Comrade Jonovan Rustin on his deployment to the Education Labour Relations Council.

The SACP in the province received with mixed emotions reports that Jonovan Rustin will be leaving the position as Provincial Secretary of the South African Teachers Trade Union (SADTU). Jonovan ined the trade union movement in 1990, became the branch chairperson of Athlone East branch in 1994, Regional Chairperson of the then Inland Region, now Lydia Simons, a position which accorded him a status of being a Provincial Executive Committee member, elected as Deputy Provincial Secretary in 2002 and elected as Provincial Secretary in 2006 following the election of the late Don Pasquallie as SADTU’s Deputy General Secretary.

His lifelong contribution to the development of the biggest teacher’s union in the country is immeasurable. Since the dying days of apartheid education and the onslaught of neoliberal austerity on the education system, Jonovan stood resolute as a Site-steward at Manenberg Secondary High School, exercising a twin objective of defending the jobs of teachers and building a militant unit of the union.

He rose to the occasion and filled the vacuum for more than a decade at a time of great strife and uncertainty. SADTU is a stable and well-functioning union structure. Further, the union under his leadership collective also stood out as a stabilising force in a fractured trade union movement today. Thus, his uniting leadership role in the federation, Cosatu, will be dearly missed.

As the South African Communist Party in the Western Cape, we salute comrade Jonovan's contribution to the struggle for free and quality education for the working class in the Western Cape. We regarded him in his role as Provincial Secretary as a dependable comrade in our broader struggle for socialism. Under Jonovan’s collective leadership, the revolutionary SADTU in the province provided an immense support to the SACP and thus the Party in the province remains strong, and we owe this to SADTU in the Western Cape.

There comes a time in anyone’s personal life whether to remain at the helm or to give way to new blood. Comrade Jonovan chose the latter and for that we raise our flag in his honour.

We are certain that in his new deployment to the Education Labour Relations Council, Comrade Jonovan will distinguish himself as a sophisticated, dynamic, hard-working and committed political administrator.

Lastly, we have no doubt that whoever is going to take over from him will fill very big shoes. Such a comrade will need to build on the outstanding contribution of Jonovan and strengthen SADTU’s position in the province as an active, dynamic and fighting revolutionary union capable of fighting against the neo-liberal austerity trajectory and serve workers selflessly and wholeheartedly.

May his outstanding contribution to the building of SADTU be recorded in general annals of history.

ISSUED BY SACP WESTERN CAPE

Benson Ngqentsu
SACP Western Cape Provincial Secretary
0827966400