SACP Statement on the 20th Anniversary of Democracy in South Africa
27 April 2014
This day in 1994, April 27th, our liberation movement steeled in the support of the people defeated the apartheid regime. This democratic breakthrough was made possible by, amongst others:
the centuries of gallant struggles that our people waged against colonisation;
the leading role that the ANC played since its founding in 1912, continuing those gallant struggles of our people and serving as their new form of organisation just after the state formation in 1910 of the Union of South Africa;
our Alliance comprising of the ANC, the Communist Party - founded in 1921, and progressive trade unionism - culminating in COSATU;
formations of our mass democratic movement which became part of our liberation movement as led by the ANC in alliance with the Communist Party and COSATU;
the various pillars of struggle, including mass mobilisation, the armed struggle with uMkhoto we Sizwe playing an important role, international solidarity and sanctions.
The SACP salutes the masses of our people, the heroes and heroines, sung and unsung who dedicated their lives to our struggle for freedom. As we celebrate the 20 years of our democracy we remember all those who lost their lives in the course of the liberation struggle.
In the last 20 years, the ANC-led government restored the dignity of our people from the shackles of colonial and apartheid oppression. Non-racial democratic election has brought about the achievement of the Freedom Charter`s clarion call of a government based on the will of the people. Fundamental human rights were guaranteed in our constitution, replacing discriminatory laws that were abolished. These, together with transformation, have produced and continue to produce a qualitatively different society. Today, indeed South Africa is a better place to live in than 20 years ago. Millions of our people have experienced improved quality of life.
At the workplace, the ANC-led government has enacted a series of progressive labour legislation, guaranteeing labour rights and standards, and improving employment and working conditions.
Among other important achievements that we must celebrate from the 20 years of our democracy, the ANC-led government has:
built over 3.3 million free houses, benefitting more than 16 million people;
extended electrification to about 12 million households, 7 million more than in 1994;
provided access to potable water to around 92% of our people, compared to 60% in 1994;
expanded the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to over 1.4 million students in colleges and universities, greatly expanding access to post-school education and training by more than doubling university enrolments from 495 thousand in 1994 to 953 thousand in 2012 and college enrolments in the last five years from just above 345 thousand to nearly 700 thousand in 2012;
turned the tide against falling life expectancy rate, especially in the last five years through decisive HIV treatment programmes - now more South Africans live longer, with average life expectancy increasing to 60 years in 2012;
increased the number of people receiving social grants from 3 million to 16 million as a contribution in fighting poverty.
The history of our 20 years of democracy is the history of the ANC-led government that, especially in the last five years:
opposes privatisation - because of working class and SACP struggles within the alliance itself;
has rescued the auto sector in our country through public investment of R22 billion in 183 projects, preserving 46 thousand jobs and adding 9 850 more jobs;
has led interventions in other industrial sectors including clothing and textiles, imposing a 75 percent local procurement requirement on the public sector;
has driven an economic and social infrastructure programme, committing R1-trillion of public spending as a key counter-cyclical intervention in the midst of the gravest global economic crisis since the 1930s;
has led a recovery of 1 million jobs lost during the crisis - employment is now higher than it has ever been, 5 million more people than ever before are working with a total of 14 million;
has introduced the removal of adverse credit information, impacting on some 10 million South Africans suffocated by mashonisas and high bank charges;
in the face of DA opposition has re-opened the lodgement of land claims, to address the plight of millions of the landless and land hungry;
has provided work opportunities to 4.5 million unemployed South Africans through Expanded Public Works and Community Work programmes;
Working class struggles have been fundamental.
In the last 20 years, the SACP has been hard at work, leading struggles independently as a vanguard Party of the working class and socialism, and in an alliance with the ANC and COSATU, fighting for these and other advances, as well as defending them. The SACP has fought against neoliberalism as an imperialist policy regime and latest form of capitalist exploitation and economic organisation. In this struggle the SACP fought against the rampant privatisation of state assets and highroad liberalisation that threatened to destroy our productive base, putting forward to the front alternatives for public and socialised property rights, solidarity and fair trade, among others.
It is the activist and campaigning SACP that took forward the struggle for land redistribution and agricultural transformation, culminating in a shift away from the policy of willing buyer willing seller. Through this struggles it is the SACP that has taken forward campaigns for the plight of farmworkers to be addressed, including land tenure. It is the SACP that took forward campaigns for accessible quality healthcare for all, culminating in the adoption of the National Health Insurance. It is the SACP that has taken up the campaign for accessible, reliable, affordable and integrated public transport system. It is the SACP that took up the campaign against corruption as a struggle to be fought through societal mobilisation. It is the SACP that took up the struggle for the transformation of the financial sector to serve the people, and many other struggles for, and with, the working class and the poor.
Yet the struggle continues, there is more that still needs to be done.
The struggle in taking forward, deepening and defending the advances of our national democratic revolution still need to continue, more than ever before. Let us do so on May 7th general election in the electoral terrain. Let us all go out in our numbers and resoundingly vote for the ANC!
The SACP says by voting for the ANC we are voting for the role it has played in leading our people out of colonial and apartheid bondage. We are voting for its record in leading transformation and delivery through governance since 1994. We are voting for its commitment and capacity to stay the course, and lead our national democratic revolution towards the achievement of all the goals of the Freedom Charter. The SACP says there is nothing wrong in voting for the ANC for its past, present and future leadership role and capacity while continuing the struggle!
Today, just 20 years after we defeated apartheid, a tiny minority of individuals have turned against the Freedom Charter`s fundamental right to vote, by calling for spoilt votes and electoral sabotage - mainly targeted at the ANC. Some of these individuals were previously elected in legislative bodies and served in government. They are particularly driven by individual disgruntlements based on the defeat they have suffered in their factional alignments and ambitions.
The SACP says the right to vote, which an overwhelming majority of our people were denied and had to fight for, over many years, is too important to be undermined and taken for granted just like that. It is this right that has paved the doors for the ANC-led government to deliver the massive advances that we have achieved since our 1994 democratic breakthrough. The advocates of spoilt votes are, however, weak and have already been defeated. The May 7th general election will deliver a blow to these individuals, by a decisive victory for the ANC.
In the last 20 years, the fundamental threat to our national democratic revolution came from the system of capitalist exploitation, its highest stage imperialism, and latest inventions such as neoliberalism. To the extent we suffered strategic or major setbacks, this primarily came from the system of capitalism. The challenges of inequality, unemployment and poverty, are mainly produced, reproduced and driven by this ruthless system of economic exploitation.
The SACP says workers, unite!
Let us intensify our struggle against capitalism! Let us continue our fight against merciless exploitation, among others labour brokering! Let us continue the fight for a better life for all! Most importantly, let us fight for the successful completion of our national democratic revolution and for socialism. Let us close ranks! For there is no single challenge that is more important than working class unity, the unity of progressive and revolutionary workers organisations, and the broad unity of our liberation forces!
Issued by the SACP
Contact:
Alex Mashilo - National Spokesperson
Mobile: 082 9200 308
Mobile: 060 343 1192
Office: 011 339 3621/2
Twitter: @2SACP
 |
| Winnie Mandela, Nelson Mandela and Joe Slovo at the first rally of the SACP since its unbanning in 1990. |
This day in 1994, April 27th, our liberation movement steeled in the support of the people defeated the apartheid regime. This democratic breakthrough was made possible by, amongst others:
the centuries of gallant struggles that our people waged against colonisation;
the leading role that the ANC played since its founding in 1912, continuing those gallant struggles of our people and serving as their new form of organisation just after the state formation in 1910 of the Union of South Africa;
our Alliance comprising of the ANC, the Communist Party - founded in 1921, and progressive trade unionism - culminating in COSATU;
formations of our mass democratic movement which became part of our liberation movement as led by the ANC in alliance with the Communist Party and COSATU;
the various pillars of struggle, including mass mobilisation, the armed struggle with uMkhoto we Sizwe playing an important role, international solidarity and sanctions.
The SACP salutes the masses of our people, the heroes and heroines, sung and unsung who dedicated their lives to our struggle for freedom. As we celebrate the 20 years of our democracy we remember all those who lost their lives in the course of the liberation struggle.
In the last 20 years, the ANC-led government restored the dignity of our people from the shackles of colonial and apartheid oppression. Non-racial democratic election has brought about the achievement of the Freedom Charter`s clarion call of a government based on the will of the people. Fundamental human rights were guaranteed in our constitution, replacing discriminatory laws that were abolished. These, together with transformation, have produced and continue to produce a qualitatively different society. Today, indeed South Africa is a better place to live in than 20 years ago. Millions of our people have experienced improved quality of life.
At the workplace, the ANC-led government has enacted a series of progressive labour legislation, guaranteeing labour rights and standards, and improving employment and working conditions.
Among other important achievements that we must celebrate from the 20 years of our democracy, the ANC-led government has:
built over 3.3 million free houses, benefitting more than 16 million people;
extended electrification to about 12 million households, 7 million more than in 1994;
provided access to potable water to around 92% of our people, compared to 60% in 1994;
expanded the National Student Financial Aid Scheme to over 1.4 million students in colleges and universities, greatly expanding access to post-school education and training by more than doubling university enrolments from 495 thousand in 1994 to 953 thousand in 2012 and college enrolments in the last five years from just above 345 thousand to nearly 700 thousand in 2012;
turned the tide against falling life expectancy rate, especially in the last five years through decisive HIV treatment programmes - now more South Africans live longer, with average life expectancy increasing to 60 years in 2012;
increased the number of people receiving social grants from 3 million to 16 million as a contribution in fighting poverty.
The history of our 20 years of democracy is the history of the ANC-led government that, especially in the last five years:
opposes privatisation - because of working class and SACP struggles within the alliance itself;
has rescued the auto sector in our country through public investment of R22 billion in 183 projects, preserving 46 thousand jobs and adding 9 850 more jobs;
has led interventions in other industrial sectors including clothing and textiles, imposing a 75 percent local procurement requirement on the public sector;
has driven an economic and social infrastructure programme, committing R1-trillion of public spending as a key counter-cyclical intervention in the midst of the gravest global economic crisis since the 1930s;
has led a recovery of 1 million jobs lost during the crisis - employment is now higher than it has ever been, 5 million more people than ever before are working with a total of 14 million;
has introduced the removal of adverse credit information, impacting on some 10 million South Africans suffocated by mashonisas and high bank charges;
in the face of DA opposition has re-opened the lodgement of land claims, to address the plight of millions of the landless and land hungry;
has provided work opportunities to 4.5 million unemployed South Africans through Expanded Public Works and Community Work programmes;
Working class struggles have been fundamental.
In the last 20 years, the SACP has been hard at work, leading struggles independently as a vanguard Party of the working class and socialism, and in an alliance with the ANC and COSATU, fighting for these and other advances, as well as defending them. The SACP has fought against neoliberalism as an imperialist policy regime and latest form of capitalist exploitation and economic organisation. In this struggle the SACP fought against the rampant privatisation of state assets and highroad liberalisation that threatened to destroy our productive base, putting forward to the front alternatives for public and socialised property rights, solidarity and fair trade, among others.
It is the activist and campaigning SACP that took forward the struggle for land redistribution and agricultural transformation, culminating in a shift away from the policy of willing buyer willing seller. Through this struggles it is the SACP that has taken forward campaigns for the plight of farmworkers to be addressed, including land tenure. It is the SACP that took forward campaigns for accessible quality healthcare for all, culminating in the adoption of the National Health Insurance. It is the SACP that has taken up the campaign for accessible, reliable, affordable and integrated public transport system. It is the SACP that took up the campaign against corruption as a struggle to be fought through societal mobilisation. It is the SACP that took up the struggle for the transformation of the financial sector to serve the people, and many other struggles for, and with, the working class and the poor.
Yet the struggle continues, there is more that still needs to be done.
The struggle in taking forward, deepening and defending the advances of our national democratic revolution still need to continue, more than ever before. Let us do so on May 7th general election in the electoral terrain. Let us all go out in our numbers and resoundingly vote for the ANC!
The SACP says by voting for the ANC we are voting for the role it has played in leading our people out of colonial and apartheid bondage. We are voting for its record in leading transformation and delivery through governance since 1994. We are voting for its commitment and capacity to stay the course, and lead our national democratic revolution towards the achievement of all the goals of the Freedom Charter. The SACP says there is nothing wrong in voting for the ANC for its past, present and future leadership role and capacity while continuing the struggle!
Today, just 20 years after we defeated apartheid, a tiny minority of individuals have turned against the Freedom Charter`s fundamental right to vote, by calling for spoilt votes and electoral sabotage - mainly targeted at the ANC. Some of these individuals were previously elected in legislative bodies and served in government. They are particularly driven by individual disgruntlements based on the defeat they have suffered in their factional alignments and ambitions.
The SACP says the right to vote, which an overwhelming majority of our people were denied and had to fight for, over many years, is too important to be undermined and taken for granted just like that. It is this right that has paved the doors for the ANC-led government to deliver the massive advances that we have achieved since our 1994 democratic breakthrough. The advocates of spoilt votes are, however, weak and have already been defeated. The May 7th general election will deliver a blow to these individuals, by a decisive victory for the ANC.
In the last 20 years, the fundamental threat to our national democratic revolution came from the system of capitalist exploitation, its highest stage imperialism, and latest inventions such as neoliberalism. To the extent we suffered strategic or major setbacks, this primarily came from the system of capitalism. The challenges of inequality, unemployment and poverty, are mainly produced, reproduced and driven by this ruthless system of economic exploitation.
The SACP says workers, unite!
Let us intensify our struggle against capitalism! Let us continue our fight against merciless exploitation, among others labour brokering! Let us continue the fight for a better life for all! Most importantly, let us fight for the successful completion of our national democratic revolution and for socialism. Let us close ranks! For there is no single challenge that is more important than working class unity, the unity of progressive and revolutionary workers organisations, and the broad unity of our liberation forces!
Issued by the SACP
Contact:
Alex Mashilo - National Spokesperson
Mobile: 082 9200 308
Mobile: 060 343 1192
Office: 011 339 3621/2
Twitter: @2SACP
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