SACP Brian Bunting District Council Statement for Immediate Release

23 June 2022

During a very important calendar of the South African Communist Party, when it prepares for its watershed 15th national congress, the SACP in the Brian Bunting District held its second District Council on 18 June 2021, at Sosebenza Primary School. The Council was attended by delegates from branches across the district. The District Council served as an important platform to amongst other things prepare for the upcoming 15th National Congress and reflect on the conditions of the working class in the Cape Metro. Against this background, the District Council received political and organisational report and a keynote address from the SACP’s Provincial Chairperson Anthony Dietrich, whose input was premised on the discussion document of the Party titled “Strategic Perspective and Tasks”.

The District Council reflected on the global capitalist crisis and subsequently the global environmental crisis and particularly how the crisis has manifested in the conflicts around the world and the natural disasters. Further, the meeting discussed and debated the direction of the National Democratic Revolution under the leadership of the African National Congress and the vanguard role of the SACP. It further assessed whether the policies pursued in government are benefitting the working class or not.

As a product of an analysis, Council reaffirmed its position that South Africa is not immune from the global neo-liberal attack on the working class. The state is a contested terrain for the control of resources, and the capitalist class with its black parasitic network have been the major beneficiaries of reforms within the state. The corrupt relationship between monopoly capital and the political elites have derailed our developmental agenda. Thus there is no appetite in the alliance to disrupt the foundations of this white controlled capitalist economy, District Council noted that infighting in the ANC has nothing to do with services to our people, but access to state resources.  

Forward to the 15th National Congress to be held on 13-16 July 2022

As part of political preparations for the upcoming 15th National Congress, the Brian Bunting District convened a number of sub-district councils across the district as platforms to debate the policy positions, the trajectory our revolution and our Party should take guided by the Central Committee discussion documents. Against this background, District Council resolved to lobby other districts in the lead up to the Provincial Council and ultimately 15th Congress that the SACP is renewed as a leading militant, combative Party capable of inspiring confidence of the majority of our people, the working class. Such a renewal should be on leadership and the leadership role of the SACP in the National Democratic Revolution. Thus amongst other things, the Party in the District shall lobby other districts and structures at the upcoming Provincial Council to ensure that the SACP considers the electoral option as one critical component in reconfiguring the revolutionary alliance.

Triple H campaign – Human settlements (water and sanitation), Health and Hunger!  

District Council condemned with the strongest terms possible the City of Cape Town’s dismal failure to address the dilapidated bulk infrastructure in working class townships. The council noted the lack of a focused upgrading and maintenance of water and sewer infrastructure across all working-class township resulting in sewer blockage and overflows contributing to the already bad state of our roads infrastructure. The most impoverished townships have been engulfed by unattended sewage spills that, in some cases over 3 years, that has a potential to contaminate the water supply systems of the municipality and endanger the environment as over 30% of sewer water doesn’t reach Water and Waste treatment plant instead straight to our rivers due to decaying infrastructure and lack of upgrade and maintenance by the city council. Smelling sewer has become a norm in our communities and it has affected houses, schools, clinics, sub-council buildings, and roads – everywhere in the townships, but not the suburbs. 

The Council reaffirmed the centrality of entrenching vibrant and ideologically strong SACP structures within the communities through the sanitation campaign, which has an impact on roads, health, housing, water and environment. 

On Flooding and shack fires

Flooding and shack fires have become synonymous with Cape Town because the DA led city Council lacks capacity and political will to mitigate such natural disasters. The last heavy rain did not only affect squatter Camps but also formal dwellings, a blame must be put at the doorstep of this Metro Council that does not have people’s interests at heart. The department of CoGTA must be invited to take responsibility and act on its mandate particularly to co-ordinate all other departments to provide permanent solutions to our people. Council resolved to develop an approach together with our communities and address these inhumane conditions our people are subjected into.

On Clean Audit outcomes 

District council noted these clean audits that this city of Cape Town Council is receiving consecutively that are not a reflection of realities of condition the poor working-class community faced daily under the DA lead government. Council reiterated that good governance is what we all want to see, but it must not be to the detriment of our working-class communities. 

Fight against crime and corruption!

The District Council noted with dismay the failure of DA led government to address mass killings in Khayelitsha, Hanover Park, Delft and the broader Cape Flats. Council note with concerned  that some of those responsible for the mass killings and those killed have been granted bails consecutively by the courts for serious crimes such as murder. This epitomizes the extent to which the criminal network has captured the criminal justice system. Communities remain gang infested, extortionist syndicates are thriving, community infrastructure is in a state of disrepair which indicates general neglect of working-class communities in favour of affluent suburbs. Council noted the discriminatory and racist allocation of the city metro police in favour of the rich to the detriment of the poor and marginalized communities. We call upon the DA government to install CCTV cameras in the townships and all crime hotspots in the Cape Metro.  

While we note the handing over of 12 police vans to the Khayelitsha Police stations, we remain concerned that vehicles alone will not fight and defeat crime, with the same police personnel and police leadership captured by criminal networks, we will not defeat the scourge of violent crimes in our communities. Khayelitsha is amongst the top 5 townships in the country and the biggest township in the Western Cape and accordingly, it should have over 5 police stations. Council was resolute in calling for the National Department of Police, Provincial Department of Community Safety and the City of Cape Town Safety and Security Department to immediately stop bickering and gambling with lives of our people. Council noted and welcomed the Khayelitsha Development Forum’s approach on the opening platforms for engagement and our view remains that all levels of government on crime fighting, remain two sides of the same coin.

Access to affordable, reliable and safe public transport! 

District Council reiterated the call for a reliable, safe and affordable public transport for the organized working class and the whole working class to access and participate in the economy of the metro. 

Council noted that the collapse of the public rail transport in the Cape Metro had a devastating impact on the working class forcing them to use unreliable and unsafe mode of transportation in the form of buses and Taxis, whose only interest is to maximize profit to the detriment of our people.  Council noted that the continued transport fare hikes have forced majority of workers out of their employment, as they cannot afford these exorbitant and unfordable price hikes. Thus we call on the National Department of Transport to double their efforts in rehabilitating and reinstating all metro rail lines in the Cape Town region. The party will not be a spectator in the rebuilding of our rail infrastructure in the metro. We will be vigilant against those who will be using this project to advance their narrow selfish interests. 

Issued by SACP Brian Bunting District 

For enquiries contact District Secretary

Monde Nqulwana

0660885684