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Extracts from SACP address to COSATU 8th National Congress
By Blade Nzimande, SACP General Secretary, 16 September
2003
THIS OCCASION might go down in history as one of
the most important congresses in the history of this Federation, this,
the 8th Congress of the Congress of South African Trade Unions.
Why?
Coming just 7 months before the end of the first decade
of our freedom, this Congress comes at a time in which our revolution
stands at the cross-roads. Since 1994 there have been many advances for
the working class and poor of our country, there have also been defeats
and persisting crises for workers and the poor - one million formal sector
jobs have been lost in five years, workers have been casualised and informalised,
household income inequality and mass poverty have worsened.
Everyday, on the TV, radio and in the print media, there
are multiple signs of distress, of creeping bourgeois values, of a sharpening
factionalism within our own liberation movement. For the past 10 years
we have moved forward collectively, we have notched up victories, we have
made significant resource transfers to the poor, but still we remain locked
into a ravenous, barbaric capitalist accumulation path. We have to go
forward, but we cannot just go forward with hope and good intentions.
We have to systematically, consciously, militantly rescue our national
democratic revolution from its present imprisonment within a persisting
capitalist accumulation path.
Unless, the working class leads, working programmatically
and in action with the widest range of the mass of the urban and rural
poor, unless this is done, the promise of 1994 will collapse into agendas
of narrow self-enrichment, and general confusion. The SACP is prepared
to work with all potentially patriotic and progressive forces - but one
thing is clear, the bourgeoisie, the emergent bourgeoisie and the emergent
bourgeoisies, separately and together are incapable of charting a way
out of our persisting crisis of underdevelopment. The working class must
lead!
THE STRATEGIC NATURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SACP AND COSATU
This is a relationship we need to continue to deliberately
foster, deepen and consolidate. It is a relationship forged in struggle,
and must continued to be fostered through common struggles.
In the first instance in order to understand this relationship
properly it is important to locate it within the context of what the relationship
should be between communists and the labour movement. The most definitive
guideline and approach still remains that enunciated by Lenin in 1900.
Allow me to quote from this:
"Social democracy is a combination of the labour movement
with socialism. Its task is not passively to serve the labour movement
at each of its separate stages, but to represent the interests of the
movement as a whole, to point out to this movement its ultimate aims and
its political tasks, and to protect its political and ideological independence.
Isolated from Social-Democracy, the labour movement becomes petty and
inevitably becomes bourgeois: in conducting only the economic struggle,
the working class loses its political independence; it becomes the tail
of other parties and runs counter to the great slogan: 'The emancipation
of the workers must be the task of the workers themselves'. In every country
there has been a period in which the labour movement existed separately
from the socialist movement, each going its own road; and in every country
this state of isolation weakened both the socialist movement and the labour
movement. Only the combination of socialism with the labour movement in
each country created a durable basis for both the one and the other"
(Lenin, 1900)
The above approach is as relevant today as it was relevant
then. The enemies of the working class everywhere know this, that is why
one of their strategies will always be an attempt to drive a wedge between
communists and the labour movement, thus aiming to weaken both and strengthen
the capitalist character of society. That is where the highly sectarian
left works to the agenda of the bourgeoisie when they call for COSATU
to split from the Communist Party and the Alliance, and transforms itself
into a workers' party. The bourgeoisie would love this as it would isolate
organised workers from the Party and the masses and drive it into a cocoon!
Cde President I would like to submit to this Congress that
we should consciously see the relationship between our two formations
as of a strategic nature. The South African Communist Party is the only
credible political voice of the working class, with a proud history of
struggle and a clear political theory of the NDR and its relationship
to the struggle for socialism. We have a programmatic perspective grounded
in advancing the interests of the workers and the poor. COSATU is the
largest trade union federation, progressive in its orientation, with a
proud history of militant struggle for the workers and embracing the NDR
and the struggle for socialism.
What do we mean when we say that we should see our relationship
as a strategic relationship? Put simply, the future and fate of South
Africa's working class lies with this relationship. The struggle for socialism
is entirely dependent on this relationship. Without understanding the
strategic nature of this relationship and consciously giving it this strategic
purpose and thrust, the future of the working class, the NDR and indeed
socialism is at stake.
Were Lenin writing in South Africa in 2003 what he said
in 1900, he would have added that for South Africa, the primary strategic
relationship for the future of the working class lies in deepening and
consolidating the strategic relationship between the SACP and COSATU.
How should the strategic nature of this relationship manifest
itself?
- The foundation for the strategic nature of this relationship must
derive from a proper grasp and concrete campaigns around the programmatic
slogan of socialism is the future build it now
- The public sector as the basis of our growth and development strategies,
and a programmatic platform from which to engage private capital
- An overarching state led industrial strategy, driving an accumulation
regime beneficial to the overwhelming majority of our people
- Harmonising and co-ordinating existing working class campaigns on
jobs and poverty eradication, transformation of the financial sector
in favour of the workers and the poor, a comprehensive social security
system, building a progressive working class led women's movement, fighting
against HIV/AIDS and effective worker participation in ANC and SACP
structures
- The strategy and tactics of the working class in the NDR and transition
to socialism must emerge from the programmes and the strategic thrust
of the relationship between our two formations!
To pose our relationship in this way is not to elevate
it above that of the ANC as the leader of the Alliance. Part of the strategic
purpose of our relationship is precisely aimed at strengthening the working
class bias of the ANC as the leader of the Alliance and government.
There is also a dialectical relationship between the strategic
nature of our two formations and the leading role of the ANC in this period.
It is only under an ANC led Alliance, an ANC which safeguards its working
class bias, that creates the most favourable conditions for a working
class led NDR and the struggle for socialism. Conversely, it is the strategic
relationship of the SACP and COSATU that provides the locomotive for the
NDR and an ANC with a working class bias. However what holds together
this dialectic and the Alliance as a whole is an independent, politically
conscious working class capable of acting as a motive force.
LET US TAKE THIS RELATIONSHIP ONTO EVEN A HIGHER STRATEGIC
UNITY!
THE SIX KEY PRIORITIES FACING THE WORKING CLASS IN THE
IMMEDIATE FUTURE
Within the context of consolidating and deepening the national democratic
revolution, and the emerging medium term vision for the working class,
the following are the six key priorities for the working class in the
immediate future:
Implementation of the Growth and Development Summit resolutions
Whilst the GDS resolutions do not meet the working class objective of
an overarching state led industrial strategy, it nevertheless is an important
advance in the following manner:
- It marks an important shift from a growth and development strategy
premised on privatisation, liberalisation and attraction of FDI as the
principal locomotive for a growth path
- Instead it is premised on mobilisation of domestic resources from
the financial sector, domestic investible income, increased investment
in infrastructure, expanded public works programmes and the building
of co-operatives to harness the energies and economic creativity of
the ordinary mass of our people. This is a very important shift from
some of the GEAR assumptions.
- It potentially rolls back the notion that there is only one corner
that has all the wisdom about how to grow and develop our economy, and
a recognition of the need to mobilise the wisdom and organisational
muscle of all our people in order to achieve a radically different growth
path. Most importantly a recognition, even if on paper, the importance
of the working class and the resources under its control
In this way the GDS resolutions provides the most immediate
platform to struggle for an accumulation regime in favour of the workers
and the poor. However the working class needs to mobilise to ensure that
it drives the implementation of these resolutions. In particular, focus
should be on the following:
- Driving convening of sectoral summits towards concrete measure for
job creation
- Building of a co-operative movement
- The building of a progressive savings and credit co-operative movement
to fight against the high indebtedness of the working class to omashonisa
- Struggling for worker's control of retirement funds
- Deepening the struggles in the financial sector, and building on
the achievements made thus far
- Campaigning for labour intensive approaches in the formal sector
- Driving a public works programme through infrastructure investment
- Energetically taking up BEE to ensure that concrete measures are
developed for the benefit of the mass of our people, rather than an
elite. This also calls for an intense and conscious ideological offensive
against attempts to hijack BEE only to benefit a small elite
Building a caring South African nation based on social
solidarity and upliftment of the majority of our people
It is important that the working class be in the forefront
of the struggles to address the national question. The national question
cannot be effectively addressed unless its class content is properly understood
and addressed, just as we need to address the national content of the
class question. There is a very real danger that as our transition unfolds,
emphasis tends to be placed on the national question devoid of its class
content. It is only a politically conscious working class, with independent
power that is best capable to lead the struggle to address the national
question.
In this respect the working class needs to contest and
seek to give direct ion to the moral values upon which the emerging new
South African nation is based. This concretely means rolling back the
capitalist market, unflinchingly promoting non-racialism and non-sexism,
fight corruption and elitism and the "dog-eat-dog" mentalily
of capitalism and promote values of social solidarity and upliftment of
the overwhelming majority of our people. These values need to be reflected
in all sectors of society and is the only platform on which to address
the national question. This means the working class being in the forefront
of protecting our national sovereignty and in the moral regeneration movement.
New forms of working class organisation
In the light of informalisation, casualisation and stratification
of the working class, we need to creatively think about new forms of organising
workers. This means new strategies to organise informal sector workers,
casual workers, hawkers and a whole range of the new layers of the working
class created by the neo-liberal restructuring of the economy. Amongst
other things this means creating advice offices, building a co-operative
movement, organising new workers through their sites of struggles for
sustainable livelihoods - in stokvels, burial societies and other arenas
where the informalised, retrenched and casualised working class is to
be found. This is where we should concretely seek to merge struggles for
jobs with some of the areas that our Party has been organising in.
We feel that whilst the labour movement is acutely aware
of these challenges there has not been adequate discussion of new ways
to organise the vulnerable and peripheralised workers in our country.
Deepening and systematising internationalist and solidarity
work
This is a critical area that needs to be addressed as outlined
above, prioritising solidarity in the African continent and the South.
ANC victory in the 2004 elections
This constitutes the most immediate priority for the working
class and the national democratic revolution as a whole. Workers of our
country in general need to ensure an overwhelming majority for the ANC
in the elections next year. As workers, it is in our deepest interest
to return the ANC government overwhelmingly. The ANC is the best placed
organisation to take forward transformation in our country, and the only
government best capable of addressing the interests of the overwhelming
majority of our people.
It is also important that as a matter of urgency we ensure
that workers fully participate in all the ANC election structures. We
must also ensure that we participate in the drafting of the election manifesto
and ensure that the interests of workers are prominent. The immediate
task however is to throw our weight behind the ID campaign. It would be
crucial that this Congress adopts specific resolutions on how COSATU is
going to be part of this important electoral effort.
There are additional challenges facing our unions in relation
to the election campaign. We need to ensure that we reach out to the millions
of workers to ensure that they come out and vote. Particular attention
needs to paid to the urban African working class, particularly in areas
like Durban and Pietermaritzburg in order to ensure that we win that province.
Part of the problem is that our people in these areas have in the past
not come out in the numbers we need. What is the role of COSATU in this
regard?
Another key challenge is that of focusing on the Coloured
working class in the Western Cape. If COSATU and its affiliates throw
their full weight behind this effort, our job will be half done in the
Western Cape.
An important challenge however is that as we draw up the
ANC election manifesto we need to ensure that we begin to draw up a joint
Alliance programme to make sure that the implementation of the manifesto
is driven collectively. We should see the election campaign itself as
part of building the Alliance. This will overcome the problem of tensions
that sometimes arise out of the interpretation of the implementation of
the manifesto. This is also important in order to ensure that joint Alliance
work does not only happen during the election campaign and not after it.
Let us get down to work to ensure a convincing victory for
the ANC next year!
Forward to Workers' Co-operative Bank and Worker-Controlled
Retirement Funds!
When the SACP spoke at your last Congress, it was a few
weeks before we launched the Campaign to Make Banks Serve the People.
Since then we have witnessed the holding of the NEDLAC Financial Sector
Summit in August 2002, the publication of draft regulations to govern
Credit Bureaus, the discussion by cabinet of a new Co-operatives' Bill
and Community Reinvestment Legislation, initiatives by some banks to introduce
a charge-free banking card for recipients of welfare grants, the Financial
Services Charter, the AVBOB announcement to remove HIV/AIDS discrimination
in its funeral insurance policies, and other important developments. But
these developments are not about to change the capitalist character of
the financial sector in our country.
The campaign has reached a stage where workers must use
their organisational and financial muscle to create worker-owned and worker-controlled
financial institutions. We are calling for the formation of savings and
credit co-operatives as an important step towards a workers' co-operative
bank, providing savings and affordable credit and other services to the
workers of our country. As the SACP we are launching the Dora Tamana Savings
and Credit Co-operative in October this year.
As the working class, we are already controlling billions
of rands through our stokvels, burial societies and retirement funds.
Let us ensure that this 8th COSATU Congress passes resolutions to ensure
worker control of all retirement funds as part of defeating the mashonisas,
private commercial banks, and rolling back business unionism and unilateral
control of workers' funds by un-elected and unaccountable asset managers.
We call upon all COSATU affiliates to encourage members to form their
own savings and credit co-operatives as part of this overall offensive
to build the financial muscle of the working class. We are also calling
on this COSATU Congress to resolve to build a vibrant, democratic, popular,
progressive and independent co-operative movement.
Further, the struggle for workers' control of retirement
funds, for the building of SACCOs and a Workers' Co-operative Bank is
a clear rejection of the call by sections of business for workers' pension,
provident and other savings to be used to promote narrow black elite economic
empowerment and to incentivise narrow transformation for the benefit of
the Brenthurst group and their cronies.
Finally, we call on COSATU to join us in taking the banks
campaign to a higher level by paying attention to the following:
- Mass pressure on banks against continuing redlining and for the enactment
of community reinvestment legislation
- Ensuring that the boardroom-negotiated Financial Services Charter
does not promote narrow black elite economic empowerment
- Mobilising for a People's Financial Charter
- Implementation of Regulations to govern Credit Bureaux
- Mobilisation against HIV/AIDS discrimination in the financial sector
as a whole
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