SACP Eastern Cape Provincial Working Committee Press Statement
13 September 2016
"Hide nothing from the masses of our people, tell no lies, expose lies whenever they are told, mask no difficulties, failures, claim no easy victories" - Amilcar Cabral
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Eastern Cape Province convened its Provincial Working Committee (PWC) meeting at the SACP Provincial Office in Bhisho over the past weekend. The meeting was convened for the PWC to assess the state of our party, the broader liberation movement, socio-economic conditions of the working class here and to develop a clear action plan on implementation of party decisions. The PWC is responsible for exercising an oversight on the day to day running of the party. The meeting was the first one post-2016 local government elections.
The meeting was held a day after the successful convening of the SACP gender workshop in the province. The PWC appreciated the work done by the gender commission in the province. The SACP PWC meeting was preceded by the interaction with the SACP structures in Skenjana Roji District as part of servicing the party structures. The interaction with the party structures in Skenjana Roji was meant for, amongst other reasons, for the party to get more closer to its lower organs, asses the state of the organisation, reports on the outcomes of the 2016 Local Government Elections, reports on building a vibrant, independent and agile SACP.
The PWC satisfied itself with the latter in the district, what has been more glaring and emphatic in the district is the dilapidating state of the alliance and the broader liberation movement in general. What was also clear in the reports that we might have secured the BCMM in the local government elections but as to who will benefit out of the victory a matter the PWC urged the alliance not to take for granted. As the SACP we will be interacting with the alliance secretariat to attend to the challenges of the alliance functionality in the Buffalo City region as per the resolution of the provincial alliance summit.
Outcomes of the Local Government Elections
The meeting spent qualitative time dealing with the preliminary analyses of the outcomes of the 2016 Local Government Elections. The party wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to thousands of SACP volunteers, organised in the Ncumisa Kondlo Detachment who worked tirelessly in the campaign towards the Local Government Elections. The local government elections campaign was the most difficult one, the period was characterised by serious internal and external challenges in the ANC led movement.
The SACP wishes to congratulate our ally, the African National Congress (ANC) in the province for having retained many of the municipalities. We are however concerned with the loss of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality and Coega Local Municipality to the DA. We are of the firm view that such concerning results should be an indication to the movement in the province to do things differently, and appreciate that gone is the time where the struggle credentials would be used as an excuse to cover for many wrong doings.
The newly established municipal councils should not be used for advancing petty squabbles, purging and settling of narrow political scores. It should rather be used to focus more on improving service delivery to the people. It should be used to advance that which is entailed on the ANC Local Government Election Manifesto. There should be more efforts aimed at ending privatisation and focus more on insourcing and building state capacity to render services. The billing system is a serious problem in the municipalities in general and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in particular with exorbitant rates and tariffs. This is making living to be more difficult than already it is to the workers and the poor. We urge the political and administrative leadership of the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality and other municipalities to urgently attend to the challenges in the billing system.
As the SACP, we wish to reiterate our call for the tabling and action on all the forensic investigation reports in the Eastern Cape municipalities. As the SAP we are on record having called for the tabling and action on these reports than letting them gather dust without any action. It is in the deepest interest of the ANC led movement, and the people in general, that the reports are tabled and action is undertaken. These reports should form basis for the movement to decisively deal with corruption and desist political protection of any corrupt persons.
The PWC noted that ANC branches and regions are largely dominated by extreme divisive factional tendencies, characterised by vigorous dissemination of patronage through state resources, gate-keeping used for factional mileage than advancing the national democratic revolution through the people being active participants in the democracy.
The PWC re-affirms the Central Committee position on the need to convene the ANC National Consultative Conference to deal with the rot in the movement. The consultative conference should be inclusive of all the organs of the broad liberation movement. The consultative conference should be used as the basis and platform to unify the movement in which we can all reflect upon and take individual and collective responsibility of the mistakes we have committed.
Political killings
The meeting noted with concern what we understand to be political motivated killings in the O.R Tambo Region and other parts of the country and some violence targeting some comrades of the ANC in the province. We are particularly concerned that these acts happen when the alliance deals with the deployment for municipal councils in the province. It cannot be that when we deal with deployment, we tear ourselves apart for political expediency and the desire to use these institutions for looting. These are signs of a revolution that faces a serious threat of being derailed.
We are calling upon the competent law enforcement authorities to urgently attend these incidents and bring the perpetrators of these heinous acts to book. We commit ourselves as the party to expose and isolate all the internal opponents of the National Democratic Revolution, who wishes to use the ANC as the ladders to their selfish greedy interests.
State Owned Enterprises
The PWC meeting reasserted the call by the SACP Central Committee to actively campaign against the looting of the state resources, whether by some in the leadership and certain business cartels. We will be actively campaigning against the capture of our State Owned Enterprises by the greedy parasitic bourgeoisie.
It is in this context that the PWC fully supports the stance of our Central Committee against the harassment of the Minister of Finance, Cde Pravin Gordhan. We may differ with the posture of the National Treasury on many policy related matters, we are however in one in defending the public purse against the vicious looting.
The SACP has noted with great concern the deteriorating state of the Post Office and Telkom, where service to the people is seriously compromised. The situation in both State Owned Enterprises cannot go unattended given the strategic location of these institutions in delivering the service to the people. There should be more efforts in rescuing the Post Office with sufficient funding and it getting full license towards establishment of the state bank. We are deeply concerned with the retrenchments in Telkom and casualization that is taking place at the Post Office as workers are employed as part time bases to deal with staff shortages engulfing the institution.
Closure of schools:
The SACP in the province is concerned with the closure of many public schools in the province. We believe that the situation disadvantages the people in the affected areas and result in drop outs as scholar transport is not provided after closing of the schools. It is in this context that the SACP is calling for the moratorium on the closure of schools in the province in favour of people centred planning towards ensuring the people`s education for the people`s power. We also note with concerned the tensions that are brewing in many communities and commit to take the matters up with the provincial government and within the alliance.
The SACP condemns the burning of public schools in Nyandeni and other areas. There is no genuine demand that can justify the destruction of public property. We are calling upon the people to unite and isolate the destructive elements that seeks to ride on the genuine demands of the communities.
Eastern Cape Customary Initiation Bill
The SACP calls for the speedy finalisation of the Eastern Cape Customary Initiation Bill for the province to avert more deaths of initiates. The Eastern Cape has been registering large number of deaths in the initiation schools. It is therefore important that we work together in putting measures to save lives.
Building an SACP that is ready for any eventuality
The PWC concretised the SACP programme for the membership month. We commit ourselves to work tirelessly in building an agile, independent and campaigning SACP adaptable and ready for any eventuality.
Issued by the SACP Eastern Cape.
Contact:
Siyabonga Mdodi
SACP Provincial Spokesperson
Mobile: +27833588070
Office: +27406351042
Email: simdodi@gmail.com
Facebook: SACP Eastern Cape
Twitter: @SACPECmedia
- See more at: http://www.sacp.org.za/main.php?ID=5578#sthash.5BW9dK1a.dpuf
"Hide nothing from the masses of our people, tell no lies, expose lies whenever they are told, mask no difficulties, failures, claim no easy victories" - Amilcar Cabral
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Eastern Cape Province convened its Provincial Working Committee (PWC) meeting at the SACP Provincial Office in Bhisho over the past weekend. The meeting was convened for the PWC to assess the state of our party, the broader liberation movement, socio-economic conditions of the working class here and to develop a clear action plan on implementation of party decisions. The PWC is responsible for exercising an oversight on the day to day running of the party. The meeting was the first one post-2016 local government elections.
The meeting was held a day after the successful convening of the SACP gender workshop in the province. The PWC appreciated the work done by the gender commission in the province. The SACP PWC meeting was preceded by the interaction with the SACP structures in Skenjana Roji District as part of servicing the party structures. The interaction with the party structures in Skenjana Roji was meant for, amongst other reasons, for the party to get more closer to its lower organs, asses the state of the organisation, reports on the outcomes of the 2016 Local Government Elections, reports on building a vibrant, independent and agile SACP.
The PWC satisfied itself with the latter in the district, what has been more glaring and emphatic in the district is the dilapidating state of the alliance and the broader liberation movement in general. What was also clear in the reports that we might have secured the BCMM in the local government elections but as to who will benefit out of the victory a matter the PWC urged the alliance not to take for granted. As the SACP we will be interacting with the alliance secretariat to attend to the challenges of the alliance functionality in the Buffalo City region as per the resolution of the provincial alliance summit.
Outcomes of the Local Government Elections
The meeting spent qualitative time dealing with the preliminary analyses of the outcomes of the 2016 Local Government Elections. The party wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to thousands of SACP volunteers, organised in the Ncumisa Kondlo Detachment who worked tirelessly in the campaign towards the Local Government Elections. The local government elections campaign was the most difficult one, the period was characterised by serious internal and external challenges in the ANC led movement.
The SACP wishes to congratulate our ally, the African National Congress (ANC) in the province for having retained many of the municipalities. We are however concerned with the loss of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality and Coega Local Municipality to the DA. We are of the firm view that such concerning results should be an indication to the movement in the province to do things differently, and appreciate that gone is the time where the struggle credentials would be used as an excuse to cover for many wrong doings.
The newly established municipal councils should not be used for advancing petty squabbles, purging and settling of narrow political scores. It should rather be used to focus more on improving service delivery to the people. It should be used to advance that which is entailed on the ANC Local Government Election Manifesto. There should be more efforts aimed at ending privatisation and focus more on insourcing and building state capacity to render services. The billing system is a serious problem in the municipalities in general and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in particular with exorbitant rates and tariffs. This is making living to be more difficult than already it is to the workers and the poor. We urge the political and administrative leadership of the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality and other municipalities to urgently attend to the challenges in the billing system.
As the SACP, we wish to reiterate our call for the tabling and action on all the forensic investigation reports in the Eastern Cape municipalities. As the SAP we are on record having called for the tabling and action on these reports than letting them gather dust without any action. It is in the deepest interest of the ANC led movement, and the people in general, that the reports are tabled and action is undertaken. These reports should form basis for the movement to decisively deal with corruption and desist political protection of any corrupt persons.
The PWC noted that ANC branches and regions are largely dominated by extreme divisive factional tendencies, characterised by vigorous dissemination of patronage through state resources, gate-keeping used for factional mileage than advancing the national democratic revolution through the people being active participants in the democracy.
The PWC re-affirms the Central Committee position on the need to convene the ANC National Consultative Conference to deal with the rot in the movement. The consultative conference should be inclusive of all the organs of the broad liberation movement. The consultative conference should be used as the basis and platform to unify the movement in which we can all reflect upon and take individual and collective responsibility of the mistakes we have committed.
Political killings
The meeting noted with concern what we understand to be political motivated killings in the O.R Tambo Region and other parts of the country and some violence targeting some comrades of the ANC in the province. We are particularly concerned that these acts happen when the alliance deals with the deployment for municipal councils in the province. It cannot be that when we deal with deployment, we tear ourselves apart for political expediency and the desire to use these institutions for looting. These are signs of a revolution that faces a serious threat of being derailed.
We are calling upon the competent law enforcement authorities to urgently attend these incidents and bring the perpetrators of these heinous acts to book. We commit ourselves as the party to expose and isolate all the internal opponents of the National Democratic Revolution, who wishes to use the ANC as the ladders to their selfish greedy interests.
State Owned Enterprises
The PWC meeting reasserted the call by the SACP Central Committee to actively campaign against the looting of the state resources, whether by some in the leadership and certain business cartels. We will be actively campaigning against the capture of our State Owned Enterprises by the greedy parasitic bourgeoisie.
It is in this context that the PWC fully supports the stance of our Central Committee against the harassment of the Minister of Finance, Cde Pravin Gordhan. We may differ with the posture of the National Treasury on many policy related matters, we are however in one in defending the public purse against the vicious looting.
The SACP has noted with great concern the deteriorating state of the Post Office and Telkom, where service to the people is seriously compromised. The situation in both State Owned Enterprises cannot go unattended given the strategic location of these institutions in delivering the service to the people. There should be more efforts in rescuing the Post Office with sufficient funding and it getting full license towards establishment of the state bank. We are deeply concerned with the retrenchments in Telkom and casualization that is taking place at the Post Office as workers are employed as part time bases to deal with staff shortages engulfing the institution.
Closure of schools:
The SACP in the province is concerned with the closure of many public schools in the province. We believe that the situation disadvantages the people in the affected areas and result in drop outs as scholar transport is not provided after closing of the schools. It is in this context that the SACP is calling for the moratorium on the closure of schools in the province in favour of people centred planning towards ensuring the people`s education for the people`s power. We also note with concerned the tensions that are brewing in many communities and commit to take the matters up with the provincial government and within the alliance.
The SACP condemns the burning of public schools in Nyandeni and other areas. There is no genuine demand that can justify the destruction of public property. We are calling upon the people to unite and isolate the destructive elements that seeks to ride on the genuine demands of the communities.
Eastern Cape Customary Initiation Bill
The SACP calls for the speedy finalisation of the Eastern Cape Customary Initiation Bill for the province to avert more deaths of initiates. The Eastern Cape has been registering large number of deaths in the initiation schools. It is therefore important that we work together in putting measures to save lives.
Building an SACP that is ready for any eventuality
The PWC concretised the SACP programme for the membership month. We commit ourselves to work tirelessly in building an agile, independent and campaigning SACP adaptable and ready for any eventuality.
Issued by the SACP Eastern Cape.
Contact:
Siyabonga Mdodi
SACP Provincial Spokesperson
Mobile: +27833588070
Office: +27406351042
Email: simdodi@gmail.com
Facebook: SACP Eastern Cape
Twitter: @SACPECmedia
- See more at: http://www.sacp.org.za/main.php?ID=5578#sthash.5BW9dK1a.dpuf
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