SACP Eastern Cape Provincial Council Declaration
31 October 2016
When working class struggle deepens, all anti-working class elements get revealed both within the party and outside the party
We, the 441 delegates gathered in the South African Communist Party (SACP), Eastern Cape Provincial council at Gompo Hall on the 29 - 30 October 2016. We are convened here representing more than 400 branches of the SACP, 08 districts of the SACP, the Provincial Committee of our Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA) and the entire membership of our party in the province. Our provincial council has also been attended by the delegates from the SACP Central Committee, our allies, the African National Congress (ANC), Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO).
The provincial council received, engaged and adopted the political and organisational reports. The council received the keynote address from our central committee presented by Cde Solly Mapaila, SACP 2nd Deputy General Secretary and the messages of support from our allies and the YCLSA. The council also dealt with the discussion documents and constitutional amendments in preparation of the SACP Augmented Central Committee and ultimately the SACP 14th National Congress.
The council resolved on many proposals towards organisational renewal and strengthening the strategic capacity of the SACP, which will be internally processed in the SACP structures.
The council noted that this is the first provincial council post the SACP 7th Provincial congress and the 2016 local government elections. The council adopted a comprehensive programme of action anchored on the core pillars of the South African Road to Socialism (SARS), the SACP programme as adopted in the 13th national congress in 2012. We commit ourselves as the SACP in the province to deepen and advance the road to socialism through strengthening our party and building its independent and campaigning profile. The council noted that it is convened during the Red October month, a very important month in the international communists as we are approaching the centenary of the 1917 Red October revolution.
The international context
The council noted with great concern the environmental challenges faced by the people of Haiti, Cuba and other parts of the world as per the results of the hurricane. It is as the results of the brutal inhuman bourgeoisie mode of production that people of the world are confronted with these challenges as capitalists exploit nature for the benefit of the select few and at the expense of the toiling masses of the working class.
We welcome the decision by the South African government to withdraw from the International Criminal Court. We view this as an important step for safeguarding and defending our sovereignty both as a country and the continent from the imperialist forces. The ICC has over a sustained period of time being used as a tool to advance class interest of the imperialist agenda as led by the US led imperialism. We are however convinced that we ought to develop and strengthen mechanism outside the imperialist forces to ensure decisive humanitarian interventions against any atrocious acts against humanity as it is women and children who suffer most as result of these atrocities.
We note with the great sense of concern the election of King Mswati of Swaziland as the chairperson of SADC. We are of the frim view that his election only serves to legitimize his brutal oppression of the people of Swaziland. All the democracy loving member states of the SADC should cut all ties with the barbaric regime of Mswati Tikundla and call for the release of political prisoners and unbanning of political organization in Swaziland as part of creating a climate for the people of Swaziland to determine their destiny.
The national context
The council welcomed the outcome of the alliance political council as an elaborative political process that should be undertaken. We welcome the commitment to the implementation of the more radical phase of our transition and decisive action against corruption. It is our considered view that the leadership of the alliance should be true to the 'self-correction' process after having received a clear message from our core social base as the ANC led movement during the 2016 local government elections.
Whilst welcoming the outcomes of the meeting, we would like to put it clear to the national leadership of our revolutionary alliance that we find it difficult to trust the pronouncements as there have been many before. All that has been resolved is not new but the problem has always been non-implementation of what has been agreed upon. We are therefore of the firm view that these alliance engagements are being used as the political management tool to silence the left voice in the alliance. It is only through action that we will be able to trust the gist of the outcomes of the meeting in dealing with many burning political questions, keeping leadership accountable, preserving high moral ground and the ability to correct each other. This include individual leaders taking individual responsibility not hide behind the collective.
The council condemns with the strongest contempt possible the factional political prosecution of the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan by the Hawks. The political prosecution of Pravin Gordhan is in the main informed by the greedy and corrupt elements within our movement. We reaffirm the decision taken by the SACP central committee to support Comrade Pravin Gordhan as he faces this political trial. We are of the view that the defense of comrade Gordhan in this case is in fact about defending our sovereignty and our resources against looters. It is in this context that we condemn the use of state apparatus to pursue political battles in the same way as we condemned the use of state apparatuses against President Jacob Zuma, even under his leadership as a matter of principle we condemn such. The council further underlined that our support for comrade Gordhan must not be confused to a change from our principled opposition against some of the neo-liberal policies pursued by the National Treasury that have been a stumbling block for the implementation of some of the progressive policies.
The provincial context
The council noted that we have been better organised as the SACP in the province in the build up to the 2016 local government elections. We would like to thank all the SACP foot soldiers who were organised in the Ncumisa Kondlo
detachment.
The council appreciated the relative stability in the Eastern Cape provincial administration especially in the context of the recently announced audit outcomes the Auditor General. Out of the 25 auditees in the province eight (08) received clean audits and there were no disclaimers and adverse opinions for the 3rd consecutive year. These audit outcomes are important for both accountability and the public image of the province which has severely suffered over the years. Of critical importance to us as the SACP is for these outcomes to find expression in the living conditions of the downtrodden masses of the people.
The council reaffirmed the position of the SACP in supporting the call for free quality higher education for the working class. We are of the firm view that education system as a whole should be decomodified in both the cost and content.
The council condemns with the strongest contempt possible the vandalisation of property during the student protests. It is our considered view that such actions can only serve to delegitimize the genuine demands the students are raising. We also urge the police and security forces to refrain from using excessive force when dealing with protestors.
The provincial council noted the impact of the closure of the 'non-viable' schools in province on the working class. The rationalization process underway results in denying the children of the working class access to education. It is this context that we are calling for the moratorium on the closure of public schools and for full implantation of the reviewel of the Peter Morkel model on post provision norms as per the ANC Mangaung resolutions.
We have also observed that the introduction of the turning of hospitals in small towns in to Community Health Centers (CHC) has seen many of the services that were provided by these hospitals being taken away to the former white areas at the expense of rural areas and our townships. We are calling upon the ANC led government to ensure the adequate funding and appointment of clinical staff for all hospitals on an equitable bases. We wish all learners who are writing their matric final exam all the best.
The alliance
The council reaffirms the importance of the alliance in advancing the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) as the direct route to socialism. Our alliance represents the bedrock in which the majoritarian character of our democracy is anchored on. Vladimir Lenin argued that "without an alliance with non-communists in the most diverse spheres of activity there can be no question of any successful communist construction"
The council raised its concerns on the debilitating state of the alliance in many of the regions in the province. There appears to be a concerted and well-orchestrated anti-communist agenda in these areas. We are therefore calling upon the alliance provincial alliance secretariat to attend to the hot spots areas as identified by the provincial alliance summit and this include the Amatole region. It is important that the alliance must be reconfigured as to conform to the conditions and times as the alliance is and must be a living organism.
SACP and the state power
The council resolved to intensify the building of independent profile of the party that is agile, adaptive and campaigning SACP, in preparing for eventuality of contesting elections. The SACP is a Party of power for the working class.
It is therefore important to strengthen the SACP capacity to be rooted amongst the working class for the working class with the working class.
The council appreciated that the discussion on the SACP, the working class and the state power is a necessary ongoing discussion on building the road to socialism. It is in this context that the council resolve that the SACP should increase the tempo of contesting the state power for the people's government. We are going to the SACP augmented party building commission to lobby our party to consider strengthening our contestation of state power through a ballot by developing a clear achievable programme.
We closed our most unified and coherent council in great spirit, we are convinced that this much more unified, coherent and focused party can play a huge role in uniting the alliance in the province.
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=5670#sthash.l7pEqnrR.dpuf
When working class struggle deepens, all anti-working class elements get revealed both within the party and outside the party
We, the 441 delegates gathered in the South African Communist Party (SACP), Eastern Cape Provincial council at Gompo Hall on the 29 - 30 October 2016. We are convened here representing more than 400 branches of the SACP, 08 districts of the SACP, the Provincial Committee of our Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA) and the entire membership of our party in the province. Our provincial council has also been attended by the delegates from the SACP Central Committee, our allies, the African National Congress (ANC), Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO).
The provincial council received, engaged and adopted the political and organisational reports. The council received the keynote address from our central committee presented by Cde Solly Mapaila, SACP 2nd Deputy General Secretary and the messages of support from our allies and the YCLSA. The council also dealt with the discussion documents and constitutional amendments in preparation of the SACP Augmented Central Committee and ultimately the SACP 14th National Congress.
The council resolved on many proposals towards organisational renewal and strengthening the strategic capacity of the SACP, which will be internally processed in the SACP structures.
The council noted that this is the first provincial council post the SACP 7th Provincial congress and the 2016 local government elections. The council adopted a comprehensive programme of action anchored on the core pillars of the South African Road to Socialism (SARS), the SACP programme as adopted in the 13th national congress in 2012. We commit ourselves as the SACP in the province to deepen and advance the road to socialism through strengthening our party and building its independent and campaigning profile. The council noted that it is convened during the Red October month, a very important month in the international communists as we are approaching the centenary of the 1917 Red October revolution.
The international context
The council noted with great concern the environmental challenges faced by the people of Haiti, Cuba and other parts of the world as per the results of the hurricane. It is as the results of the brutal inhuman bourgeoisie mode of production that people of the world are confronted with these challenges as capitalists exploit nature for the benefit of the select few and at the expense of the toiling masses of the working class.
We welcome the decision by the South African government to withdraw from the International Criminal Court. We view this as an important step for safeguarding and defending our sovereignty both as a country and the continent from the imperialist forces. The ICC has over a sustained period of time being used as a tool to advance class interest of the imperialist agenda as led by the US led imperialism. We are however convinced that we ought to develop and strengthen mechanism outside the imperialist forces to ensure decisive humanitarian interventions against any atrocious acts against humanity as it is women and children who suffer most as result of these atrocities.
We note with the great sense of concern the election of King Mswati of Swaziland as the chairperson of SADC. We are of the frim view that his election only serves to legitimize his brutal oppression of the people of Swaziland. All the democracy loving member states of the SADC should cut all ties with the barbaric regime of Mswati Tikundla and call for the release of political prisoners and unbanning of political organization in Swaziland as part of creating a climate for the people of Swaziland to determine their destiny.
The national context
The council welcomed the outcome of the alliance political council as an elaborative political process that should be undertaken. We welcome the commitment to the implementation of the more radical phase of our transition and decisive action against corruption. It is our considered view that the leadership of the alliance should be true to the 'self-correction' process after having received a clear message from our core social base as the ANC led movement during the 2016 local government elections.
Whilst welcoming the outcomes of the meeting, we would like to put it clear to the national leadership of our revolutionary alliance that we find it difficult to trust the pronouncements as there have been many before. All that has been resolved is not new but the problem has always been non-implementation of what has been agreed upon. We are therefore of the firm view that these alliance engagements are being used as the political management tool to silence the left voice in the alliance. It is only through action that we will be able to trust the gist of the outcomes of the meeting in dealing with many burning political questions, keeping leadership accountable, preserving high moral ground and the ability to correct each other. This include individual leaders taking individual responsibility not hide behind the collective.
The council condemns with the strongest contempt possible the factional political prosecution of the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan by the Hawks. The political prosecution of Pravin Gordhan is in the main informed by the greedy and corrupt elements within our movement. We reaffirm the decision taken by the SACP central committee to support Comrade Pravin Gordhan as he faces this political trial. We are of the view that the defense of comrade Gordhan in this case is in fact about defending our sovereignty and our resources against looters. It is in this context that we condemn the use of state apparatus to pursue political battles in the same way as we condemned the use of state apparatuses against President Jacob Zuma, even under his leadership as a matter of principle we condemn such. The council further underlined that our support for comrade Gordhan must not be confused to a change from our principled opposition against some of the neo-liberal policies pursued by the National Treasury that have been a stumbling block for the implementation of some of the progressive policies.
The provincial context
The council noted that we have been better organised as the SACP in the province in the build up to the 2016 local government elections. We would like to thank all the SACP foot soldiers who were organised in the Ncumisa Kondlo
detachment.
The council appreciated the relative stability in the Eastern Cape provincial administration especially in the context of the recently announced audit outcomes the Auditor General. Out of the 25 auditees in the province eight (08) received clean audits and there were no disclaimers and adverse opinions for the 3rd consecutive year. These audit outcomes are important for both accountability and the public image of the province which has severely suffered over the years. Of critical importance to us as the SACP is for these outcomes to find expression in the living conditions of the downtrodden masses of the people.
The council reaffirmed the position of the SACP in supporting the call for free quality higher education for the working class. We are of the firm view that education system as a whole should be decomodified in both the cost and content.
The council condemns with the strongest contempt possible the vandalisation of property during the student protests. It is our considered view that such actions can only serve to delegitimize the genuine demands the students are raising. We also urge the police and security forces to refrain from using excessive force when dealing with protestors.
The provincial council noted the impact of the closure of the 'non-viable' schools in province on the working class. The rationalization process underway results in denying the children of the working class access to education. It is this context that we are calling for the moratorium on the closure of public schools and for full implantation of the reviewel of the Peter Morkel model on post provision norms as per the ANC Mangaung resolutions.
We have also observed that the introduction of the turning of hospitals in small towns in to Community Health Centers (CHC) has seen many of the services that were provided by these hospitals being taken away to the former white areas at the expense of rural areas and our townships. We are calling upon the ANC led government to ensure the adequate funding and appointment of clinical staff for all hospitals on an equitable bases. We wish all learners who are writing their matric final exam all the best.
The alliance
The council reaffirms the importance of the alliance in advancing the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) as the direct route to socialism. Our alliance represents the bedrock in which the majoritarian character of our democracy is anchored on. Vladimir Lenin argued that "without an alliance with non-communists in the most diverse spheres of activity there can be no question of any successful communist construction"
The council raised its concerns on the debilitating state of the alliance in many of the regions in the province. There appears to be a concerted and well-orchestrated anti-communist agenda in these areas. We are therefore calling upon the alliance provincial alliance secretariat to attend to the hot spots areas as identified by the provincial alliance summit and this include the Amatole region. It is important that the alliance must be reconfigured as to conform to the conditions and times as the alliance is and must be a living organism.
SACP and the state power
The council resolved to intensify the building of independent profile of the party that is agile, adaptive and campaigning SACP, in preparing for eventuality of contesting elections. The SACP is a Party of power for the working class.
It is therefore important to strengthen the SACP capacity to be rooted amongst the working class for the working class with the working class.
The council appreciated that the discussion on the SACP, the working class and the state power is a necessary ongoing discussion on building the road to socialism. It is in this context that the council resolve that the SACP should increase the tempo of contesting the state power for the people's government. We are going to the SACP augmented party building commission to lobby our party to consider strengthening our contestation of state power through a ballot by developing a clear achievable programme.
We closed our most unified and coherent council in great spirit, we are convinced that this much more unified, coherent and focused party can play a huge role in uniting the alliance in the province.
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=5670#sthash.l7pEqnrR.dpuf
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