2 August 2022
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in Gauteng Province condemns in the possible strongest terms the horrific incident of gang rape and robbery of eight innocent young women in West Village, West Rand last week. The young models and the crew were also robbed of their valuables by the criminals.
The SACP joins the growing call by all concerned citizens for the police to ensure that no stone is left unturned in ensuring that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to book and rot in jail. To this end, and in solidarity with the victims of the crime, we also join communities who are opposed to bail for the perpetrators.
We also take this opportunity to commend the law enforcement agencies for their swift action in arresting the suspects. However, and sadly such incidents have long ceased to be an aberration in our society that is besieged by escalating levels of crime, particularly those directed at women, children and LGBTI+ community.
In this context, and in line with the most profound call made by the political report of the 14th national congress central committee, that as the SACP we must forge maximum possible unity to strengthen our genuine fight against crime and corruption. We believe that it is the unity of communities, under the leadership of the working class, which bears the brunt of crime daily, that is crucial in combating the scourge of criminality.
Crime fundamentally affects the working class and the poor, in particular the youth and women in these communities who are facing the daily grind as a result of the legacy of colonialism of a special type. It is the black women that are confronted daily by realities of triple oppression. However, we caution against the quick fix solutions peddled by opportunistic elements within our communities that inter alia seek to portray the democratic government as having failed to deal with violent crime. It is our firm belief that crime in general and contact crime in particular will be best defeated if all sectors of our society join hands with law enforcement to expose perpetrators who are fundamentally located within our communities.
Tembisa deaths
The SACP is calling a full-scale investigation into the shooting and killing of four people during a service delivery protest in Tembisa, allegedly in the hands of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police yesterday.We pledge our solidarity and condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives during the protest.
We believe that Mayor Tania Lynette Campbell and the DA leadership in Ekurhuleni have a lot to answer for, especially in the light of reports that she failed to honour her appointment with the community last week. We call on the Human Rights Commission and the Public Protector’s office to investigate the Mayor‘s culpability in the unfortunate incident which resulted in the loss of life.
The SACP condemns the brute force meted out against a community while raising its discontent with deteriorating levels of service delivery and the unaffordable electricity price structure. It comes as no surprise that the poor and the working class in the City of Ekurhuleni face hardship as a result of the racist DA-led coalitions diverting budgets to well off suburbs.
Issued by the SACP Gauteng Province
Contact:
Jacob Mamabolo – SACP Gauteng Provincial Secretary
Mobile: 082 884 1868
