SACP Free State Statement of the 11th Provincial Executive Committee Plenary Session of the 7th Provincial Congress
30 June 2020
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Free State Province held its 11th Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting virtually on 28 June 2020. This is the date on which our late General Secretary of the SACP Comrade Chris Hani was born 78 years ago. The PEC accordingly wished him a happy birthday posthumously.
The PEC received and discussed political inputs from our Party’s Central Committee and a political report as well as organisational report from the Provincial Secretariat. The PEC discussions focused primarily on strengthening Party structures and refocussing the work of SACP Districts in this period characterised by Covid-19 and lockdown regulations and associated heightened socio-economic challenges, particularly on the working class and poor.
Flatten the curve and restore working class biased post-Covid-19 economic recovery
The PEC acknowledged that the outbreak and spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) is linked to the crisis of capitalism. Whilst human beings’ relationship with nature is ancient, this relationship has, overtime, led to growing ecological disturbances and the degradation of the environment. It is under the capitalist mode of production that this ecological and environmental degradation reached its zenith thus leading to more cyclical or flash disasters and/or pandemics.
Covid-19 has, overall, exposed the general crisis associated with capitalism on all fronts. In South Africa, the pandemic has worsened the many deep-rooted structural and systemic crisis that reproduces high levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality. The PEC welcomed the Strategic Perspective release by our Central Committee which offers a programmatic response to the post Covid-19 sustainable recovery and development in affirming the fact that “we cannot go back to the crisis before the crisis”. In support of this intervention, the PEC agreed to update and share its existing provincial economic development strategy to cater for the post-Covid-19 working class biased recovery path.
In support of post Covid-19 recovery, the PEC affirmed the need for the revitalisation and reindustrialisation of various industrial nodes in the province – which have become inactive – through resuscitating traditional industries that were consistently the pillars of our provincial or district economic activity. Such revitalisation, which must also integrate new industries, must be predicated on building local productive capacity and bias towards high employment absorption potential and space for cooperatives involvement. The PEC raised the reality that the strategic location of the Free State province remains heavily underutilised. The PEC feels this geographic advantage needs to be harnessed through a focused infrastructure development programme that at the same time addresses the skewed and disjointed historical spatial development framework. The infrastructure development programme must seek to address both intra-provincial and inter-provincial linkages that unlock further upstream and downstream integrated economic activity.
Covid-19 has also compounded the crisis of social reproduction and aggravated the grievous crisis of gender-based violence (GBV) in our communities, worsening the challenges faced mostly by women in our society. The PEC condemned the escalating GBV and agreed on a need for programmatic interventions that also target both the boy and girl child. The crisis of social reproduction has prejudicially condemned women to such activities as maintaining hygiene and cleanliness in the home and workplace. However, with the associated economic opportunities presented by the need to maintain good hygiene and cleanliness in response to the spread of Covid-19, males, as well as companies owned by males, are suddenly specialists in hygiene, disinfection and cleaning activities – pushing women to the margins. The PEC decided to take the lead in building a broad front, working with relevant stakeholders and the Alliance, to actively confront these prejudices.
Deal decisively with the root causes of bad audit outcomes and build a developmental state
The SACP Free State PEC affirmed the reality that in order to construct a post Covid-19 recovery that confronts the structural and systemic challenges inherent in our economy, a decisive developmental state with capacity and capabilities is crucial. The PEC welcomed embryonic signs of improving Alliance relations in the province and efforts to inclusively organise Alliance discussions on the economy and the state of governance in the provincial and local governments in the province.
The PEC remains extremely worried by outcomes of the local government audit shared by the Auditor General (AG) which has painted a regressing state of finances and financial viability of our municipalities. The AG summarised the audit outcomes for the province as showing “deliberate lack of accountability by political and administrative leadership”. The SACP is disturbed by this, including the increasing number of municipalities that simply do not submit their audit reports to the AG.
The PEC agreed that in the Free State, decisive leadership and decisions that address the root cause of the deteriorating situation in our government institutions is required. This is a precondition for the success of the District Development model and revival of the local state. The SACP PEC will raise these areas in the planned Alliance Summit.
Build the Party, consolidate left forces, intensify community and working class struggles
The SACP PEC conducted a frank and detailed discussion on the state of Party structures across the province. Whilst welcoming commendable progress in several areas of Party work, the PEC acknowledged areas of subjective weaknesses especially in light of challenges posed by the outbreak of Covid-19.
In order to strengthen the organisational capacity of the Party, the PEC accordingly adopted a set of immediate interventions and a consolidated programme titled “Refocussing districts in the period characterised by Covid-19 and lockdown regulations”. This programme is aimed at strengthening Party structures, cultivating ties with communities and pursuing working class struggles, taking into consideration both constraints and opportunities presented by Covid-19.
The PEC agreed that the struggle for reliable access to quality drinking water must be maintained and extended to other affected areas within the province. Access to water is an essential basic human need and a fundamental human right. In the context of Covid-19, water also plays an important role in maintaining hygiene and contributes significantly in combating the spread of the Covid-19.
The PEC further acknowledged that Covid-19 has highlighted the important necessity of the unity of the Left. Little annoyances must not stand in the way of consolidating working class power necessary for advancing, deepening and defending the national democratic revolution. The working class is facing a bloodbath of job losses with an unprecedented upsurge in number of companies retrenching workers. This onslaught cannot be stopped without the unity of the working class. The PEC agreed on the need for working class unity and to intensify efforts in this regard, based on a common programme that advances interests of the working class.
A befitting tribute to Comrade Jack Simons
The PEC welcomed the important milestone the Party achieved with the General Secretary officially launching the Jack Simons Party School. It is a befitting tribute to name the Party School after Comrade Jack Simmons who dedicated a lot of his time and life to political education. This has also spurred the PEC to reignite the call for the renaming of Glen Agricultural School to “Jack Simons Agricultural School”.
The PEC also welcomed the 65th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter. In revisiting the Freedom Charter, the SACP in the province will also pay attention to the 60th Anniversary of the Coalbrook disaster. This remains the biggest tragedy in the history of South African mining where 437 mineworkers perished during a mine collapse on 21 January 1960 at the Coalbrook Collieries and could not be retrieved from underground.
Issued by the SACP Free State Province
Contact:
Bheke Stofile
SACP Free State Provincial Secretary
Mobile: 071 600 4899
Phillip Kganyago
SACP Free State Provincial Spokesperson
Mobile: 071 896 0157
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Free State Province held its 11th Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting virtually on 28 June 2020. This is the date on which our late General Secretary of the SACP Comrade Chris Hani was born 78 years ago. The PEC accordingly wished him a happy birthday posthumously.
The PEC received and discussed political inputs from our Party’s Central Committee and a political report as well as organisational report from the Provincial Secretariat. The PEC discussions focused primarily on strengthening Party structures and refocussing the work of SACP Districts in this period characterised by Covid-19 and lockdown regulations and associated heightened socio-economic challenges, particularly on the working class and poor.
Flatten the curve and restore working class biased post-Covid-19 economic recovery
The PEC acknowledged that the outbreak and spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) is linked to the crisis of capitalism. Whilst human beings’ relationship with nature is ancient, this relationship has, overtime, led to growing ecological disturbances and the degradation of the environment. It is under the capitalist mode of production that this ecological and environmental degradation reached its zenith thus leading to more cyclical or flash disasters and/or pandemics.
Covid-19 has, overall, exposed the general crisis associated with capitalism on all fronts. In South Africa, the pandemic has worsened the many deep-rooted structural and systemic crisis that reproduces high levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality. The PEC welcomed the Strategic Perspective release by our Central Committee which offers a programmatic response to the post Covid-19 sustainable recovery and development in affirming the fact that “we cannot go back to the crisis before the crisis”. In support of this intervention, the PEC agreed to update and share its existing provincial economic development strategy to cater for the post-Covid-19 working class biased recovery path.
In support of post Covid-19 recovery, the PEC affirmed the need for the revitalisation and reindustrialisation of various industrial nodes in the province – which have become inactive – through resuscitating traditional industries that were consistently the pillars of our provincial or district economic activity. Such revitalisation, which must also integrate new industries, must be predicated on building local productive capacity and bias towards high employment absorption potential and space for cooperatives involvement. The PEC raised the reality that the strategic location of the Free State province remains heavily underutilised. The PEC feels this geographic advantage needs to be harnessed through a focused infrastructure development programme that at the same time addresses the skewed and disjointed historical spatial development framework. The infrastructure development programme must seek to address both intra-provincial and inter-provincial linkages that unlock further upstream and downstream integrated economic activity.
Covid-19 has also compounded the crisis of social reproduction and aggravated the grievous crisis of gender-based violence (GBV) in our communities, worsening the challenges faced mostly by women in our society. The PEC condemned the escalating GBV and agreed on a need for programmatic interventions that also target both the boy and girl child. The crisis of social reproduction has prejudicially condemned women to such activities as maintaining hygiene and cleanliness in the home and workplace. However, with the associated economic opportunities presented by the need to maintain good hygiene and cleanliness in response to the spread of Covid-19, males, as well as companies owned by males, are suddenly specialists in hygiene, disinfection and cleaning activities – pushing women to the margins. The PEC decided to take the lead in building a broad front, working with relevant stakeholders and the Alliance, to actively confront these prejudices.
Deal decisively with the root causes of bad audit outcomes and build a developmental state
The SACP Free State PEC affirmed the reality that in order to construct a post Covid-19 recovery that confronts the structural and systemic challenges inherent in our economy, a decisive developmental state with capacity and capabilities is crucial. The PEC welcomed embryonic signs of improving Alliance relations in the province and efforts to inclusively organise Alliance discussions on the economy and the state of governance in the provincial and local governments in the province.
The PEC remains extremely worried by outcomes of the local government audit shared by the Auditor General (AG) which has painted a regressing state of finances and financial viability of our municipalities. The AG summarised the audit outcomes for the province as showing “deliberate lack of accountability by political and administrative leadership”. The SACP is disturbed by this, including the increasing number of municipalities that simply do not submit their audit reports to the AG.
The PEC agreed that in the Free State, decisive leadership and decisions that address the root cause of the deteriorating situation in our government institutions is required. This is a precondition for the success of the District Development model and revival of the local state. The SACP PEC will raise these areas in the planned Alliance Summit.
Build the Party, consolidate left forces, intensify community and working class struggles
The SACP PEC conducted a frank and detailed discussion on the state of Party structures across the province. Whilst welcoming commendable progress in several areas of Party work, the PEC acknowledged areas of subjective weaknesses especially in light of challenges posed by the outbreak of Covid-19.
In order to strengthen the organisational capacity of the Party, the PEC accordingly adopted a set of immediate interventions and a consolidated programme titled “Refocussing districts in the period characterised by Covid-19 and lockdown regulations”. This programme is aimed at strengthening Party structures, cultivating ties with communities and pursuing working class struggles, taking into consideration both constraints and opportunities presented by Covid-19.
The PEC agreed that the struggle for reliable access to quality drinking water must be maintained and extended to other affected areas within the province. Access to water is an essential basic human need and a fundamental human right. In the context of Covid-19, water also plays an important role in maintaining hygiene and contributes significantly in combating the spread of the Covid-19.
The PEC further acknowledged that Covid-19 has highlighted the important necessity of the unity of the Left. Little annoyances must not stand in the way of consolidating working class power necessary for advancing, deepening and defending the national democratic revolution. The working class is facing a bloodbath of job losses with an unprecedented upsurge in number of companies retrenching workers. This onslaught cannot be stopped without the unity of the working class. The PEC agreed on the need for working class unity and to intensify efforts in this regard, based on a common programme that advances interests of the working class.
A befitting tribute to Comrade Jack Simons
The PEC welcomed the important milestone the Party achieved with the General Secretary officially launching the Jack Simons Party School. It is a befitting tribute to name the Party School after Comrade Jack Simmons who dedicated a lot of his time and life to political education. This has also spurred the PEC to reignite the call for the renaming of Glen Agricultural School to “Jack Simons Agricultural School”.
The PEC also welcomed the 65th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter. In revisiting the Freedom Charter, the SACP in the province will also pay attention to the 60th Anniversary of the Coalbrook disaster. This remains the biggest tragedy in the history of South African mining where 437 mineworkers perished during a mine collapse on 21 January 1960 at the Coalbrook Collieries and could not be retrieved from underground.
Issued by the SACP Free State Province
Contact:
Bheke Stofile
SACP Free State Provincial Secretary
Mobile: 071 600 4899
Phillip Kganyago
SACP Free State Provincial Spokesperson
Mobile: 071 896 0157
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