28 December 2023
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Moses Mbhada Province (KZN) held its last Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting of the year on 17 and 18 December 2023. The meeting was also attended by members of the Central Committee deployed to the province. It deliberated on a number of issues including the latest developments in the political arena. It made various political assessments and agreed that the onslaught of capitalism in the lives of the working-class and poor has given rise to untold persistent poverty, degradation of human life and observable political decay.
The PEC deliberated extensively on the disturbing developments in the political front. The deliberations focused largely on the persistent attack directed at the ANC. The PEC agrees that there are serious crises both in the ANC and in government. Most of those crises were avoidable. They are generally features of many governments in Africa and developing countries that are usually encountered in the post liberation period. It is also crises that are mostly historically engineered and weaponised to preserve oppressor domination in the previously colonised or occupied countries. It is the weaponisation of the engineered crises that drew the focus or attention of the PEC.
Since the dawn of the New Democracy in South Africa there has been a fierce anti majoritarian liberal offensive directed at the governing party, the ANC, and its government. This offensive is aimed at changing the ANC to be pro-business against being pro-people. This project is now earmarked to deliver in this forthcoming national and provincial elections. It has delivered the Western Cape and in many major economic hubs of South Africa like Nelson Mandela Bay, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni etc. The main target now is the National Assembly and the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Billions of rands have been set aside by big capital in South Africa and abroad with one prominent billionaire with links to Israel reported to have made R5 billion available for any projects that can remove the ANC from power in the forthcoming 2024 elections.
There is also a well-funded project to rubbish and demonise the National Democratic Revolution. A book by Anthica Jefferey, the head of policy research in the Institute of Race relations ‘Count down to Socialism since 1994’ bears testimony to this. Also, the highly financed proliferation of opposition parties to oppose and unseat the ANC and derail the NDR is noted. The people of South Africa are warned not to be
misled. For now, there is no preferable organisation to address the ills of the past other than the ANC and its Alliance partners.
The ongoing US orchestrated genocide in Gaza
The Party reiterates its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people who continue to suffer brutality from the apartheid Israeli state. We condemn in the strongest terms the genocide indiscriminately perpetrated against the Palestinians aided by the world’s cruellest warmonger, the USA.
We are pleased by South Africa’s recall of its diplomats from Israel for consultation and ultimately downgrading the Embassy in Israel. This should be advanced in the interest of peace and should include total shutdown of these institutions linking South Africa with Israel.
The latest statistics reveal that Israeli forces have killed twice as many Palestinian children in Gaza over the past month than the total number of Palestinian children killed in the West Bank and Gaza combined since 1967. The apartheid Israeli settler state has turned Gaza into what the United Nations General-Secretary, António Guterres, correctly described as a graveyard for children, women and men in Gaza. Besides those, the Israeli regime murdered, including entire families, wounded over 25,000 and displaced over 1.5 million people.
The merciless killings reflect the practical implementation of a joint plan of the US and Israel of “relocating” the Palestinians to Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Yemen. This large-scale ethnic cleansing is cynically presented as a “moral and humanitarian” aid plan.
The people of the world cannot stand and watch whilst these acts of genocide are being perpetrated by apartheid Israel and should unanimously call for the UN to hold the imperialist United States regime and the leaders of the apartheid Israeli settler state to account for this despicable genocide.
Sixteen days activism campaign: Communist to the front
We believe the campaign against gender-based violence, particularly violence against women and children, should be an ongoing struggle located within our communities as practical and relentless action and commitment to combat all forms of gender-based violence. This scourge which is cancerous and affects all people has robbed defenceless women and children of their self-worth, social standing, dignity and their lives.
In line with the United Nations’ theme for 2023 “Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls”, we call on all our structures and the communities to set time and resources aside to implement practical programs to raise awareness and expose all people involved in dehumanising acts of violence against women and children. It is our immediate task to confront and eliminate the most persistent breach of human rights, sometimes traceable to patriarchal tendencies gripping our societies.
On the reconfigured Alliance
The SACP envisages a common Alliance commitment to defend and advance the National Democratic Revolution, based on the vision of the Freedom Charter. An alliance based on respect where Alliance partners collectively decide on a few issues including a common analysis of the socioeconomic conditions facing the working-class and poor and a common socio-economic approach programme. This would allow the SACP to articulate independent perspectives in all structures of government.
This is an important electoral strategy to strengthen the Alliance itself using identified modalities with no intentions of undermining unity of the people. Our Alliance partner, the ANC, has not sufficiently interacted with this to allow for ideologically informed debates.
A reconfigured Alliance is representative of all sections of the society and would be capable of addressing any discernments which gain attraction by populists manipulating genuine concerns of the masses. These populists masquerading as saviours of the people opportunistically establish political parties based on momentary anger and frustrations.
National Health Insurance
The struggle for the realisation of equal access to quality health care for all the people of the country irrespective of the social and economic standing was advanced by the approval of the Bill on NHI this year. This is the struggle which was delayed and almost derailed by a few whose intentions were to perpetuate inequalities. Although we have every reason to celebrate these victories, we look forward to the promulgation of this bill into Act by President Cyril Ramaphosa to ensure its full implementation for the benefit of the working-class and poor.
Conclusion
We are in a festive season where many of the workers who have toiled throughout the year have an opportunity to reunite with their families. We take this opportunity to wish them a happy, calming festive period. It is important for them to remember that the festive period gives unnecessary desire for spending hard-earned resources from meagre wages only feeding into consumerism.
Contact:
Themba Mthembu
Provincial Secretary
083 303 6988
Mathews Ndlovu
1st Deputy Provincial Secretary
082 336 9245
Bheki Shandu
2nd Deputy Provincial Secretary and Provincial Spokesperson
073 900 6800
