Wednesday, November 23, 2016

SACP Moses Mabhida Provincial Executive Committee Statement
15 November 2016

The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Province Mosses Mabhida (KwaZulu-Natal) held its Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting on the 13 November 2016 at Pinetown Civic Centre in Pinetown. The PEC discussed both domestic and international developments. The domestic developments were dominated by the ongoing challenges of leadership facing the ANC-headed alliance and opportunism by the opposition to try and drive a wedge. Internationally the crisis of capitalism is yet to reach an end and the recent election in the United State of America dominated discourse.

The International context

Liberal democracy in most parts of the world is facing a serious challenge, a crisis. What happened in the US, with the emergence of Donald Trump as president elect, is a clear demonstration that Washington Consensus is in crisis and social liberalism are in crisis. Social democracy developed as an approach to development in a number of European states especially following the First World War and in its modern form as assimilated after the Second World War especially during the Cold War between the imperialist West and the Soviet Union. This approach, which has been used as a con to the working class in those countries not advance a revolution against capitalism, has come under attack from neoliberalism and capitalist accumulation. It is now facing its own crisis of sustainability.

In the US, a "better devil" politics have intensified in the post-civil rights era. But both the dominant corporate parties in the US, the so-called Democrats and the so-called Republicans, have found it increasingly difficult to differentiate themselves in the midst of economic and political decline. Neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump is the way forward. We are saying no to US imperialism, regardless who leads it. We are saying no to imperialism altogether!

As the SACP, we pledge our revolutionary solidarity with among others the people of Cuba, who Trump has vowed to ruin. We pledge our revolutionary solidarity with the people of Latin America whose countries have been ruined by US exploitation and are now facing state xenophobia in the US driven by Trump as president elect.

The domestic context

The ANC's decline in electoral support continued in the August local government elections. The biggest lost occurred in the North West Province followed by Gauteng Province with virtually significant declines across the country not just in metros like Nelson Mandela, Tshwane and Johannesburg. In Free State Province, the decline of the ANC and lost of Metsimaholo municipality from over 70 percent was a major blow. In Limpopo Province Modimolle-Mookgopong and Thabazimbi were major losses. In our Province, Jozini was a major loss. Factionalism and internal divisions have played a major role in all of these.

If not arrested there is no way that the trend will reverse. The PEC raised a number of questions for discussion going forward to our Party congress, including whether the ANC is learning strategic lessons from its decline in order to achieve a turnaround, whether as the SACP we are being vanguard enough to provide leadership to the working class out of this situation.

Corruption and corporate-capture constituted other more serious problems and are associated with factionalism and distortion of internal democracy, patronage and gate-keeping.

The release of the so-called State of Capture report by the former Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela has added another impetus to the State of the Nation and national discourse. The PEC welcomed the public release of the report but believes it should have gone further. How much and how far has the Chamber of Mines had a hold on the State; the Afrikaans Capital through the Broederbond, colonial- and apartheid-era companies, Naspers etc.? The report of the former Public Protector states that its contents must be the basis for an enquiry by a Judicial Commission. The investigation should therefore be broader than the narrow, yet light-shedding, content of the report.

The PEC also resolved to intensify the struggle against high food prices and the ever rising cost of living. This includes taking up the struggle for affordable, safe and reliable public transport system, water rights and redistribution of land those who till it. It includes the intensification of the struggle for relevant and accelerated roll-out of free basic and higher education for the poor particularly the campaign to ensure that the rich and the wealthy are taxed to finance not only education but other social wage programmes.

The PEC call on the government to demonstrate the same vigour it is displaying on Nuclear Project and accordingly implement the National Health Insurance (NHI) and a comprehensive social security. These two social programmes must in fact be prioritised over the Nuclear Project.

The PEC welcomed the holding of the Alliance Summit in the province. This was a necessary step towards re-building unity in the province. The SACP was delighted to see members of the ANC NEC descending to the summit and hear for themselves what are the causes and drivers of tensions and disunity. We disappointed at the marginalisation or non-consideration of other alliance partners. The disregard of areas like Inchanga where a number of people had died due political conflict is a great disappointment.

The PEC wished well all learners writing their exams especially Grade 12 learners, college and university students.

Issued by the SACP Moses Mabhida Province

Contact
Themba Mthembu - Provincial Secretary
Mobile: 083 303 6988
Or
Mathews Ndlovu - First Deputy Provincial Secretary
Mobile: 082 336 9245

- See more at: http://www.sacp.org.za/main.php?ID=5713#sthash.SKMiRd3E.dpuf

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