22 February 2000
The South African Communist Party (SACP) supports the march to be held in Cape
Town on Wednesday, 23 February 2000, by the South African Municipal
Workers’ Union (SAMWU). The march is against the privatisation of local
government services and assets within the Cape Town Metropolitan Area.
We are concerned that the Cape Town Metropolitan Council has outlined far reaching
privatisation plans, which include job
losses. Privatisation of local government services and assets will mean that
local government services will be run on business principles, central to
which is the generation of profits at all costs. The council’s role will
be reduced to regulating tariffs. In future, political accountability for service
delivery will be taken away from elected representatives and service delivery
will be
reduced to a commercial relationship between private companies and individual
residents.
The SACP argues for the fundamental transformation of local government. Local government transformation must be centered on meeting the basic needs of our people and addressing the apartheid backlog in water, electricity, housing and sanitation. Ideologically driven privatisation will not meet the needs of the poor and working people. Local government transformation must address service delivery and apartheid backlogs through increased national government grants, cross subsidisation from the rich to poor and local economic development.
The SACP notes the similarity of the Cape Town Metropolitan Council to the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council’s iGoli 2002 plan. As it is known, SAMWU, the SACP and community organisations are opposed to iGoli 2002.
We are also worried of reports that the Council is threatening workers with dismissal
if they take part in the march tomorrow. If
these threats are true, then the SACP calls on the Council not to use bully tactics to
address key issues raised by workers but to respond and negotiate with workers.
The SACP will work with workers, residents and within the tripartite alliance to
discuss local government transformation
to meet the needs of the poor and working people.
JOB LOSSES
It is on this basis that we reaffirm our support for COSATU’s campaign of mass
action on job losses and job creation. It is
absolutely necessary for the working class to defend itself against the unacceptably high
levels of job losses through the massive mobilisation of workers, rural and urban, as well
as our communities at large. Unless workers take up the fight against
job losses, there is a real danger that our democracy will increasingly be enjoyed by
fewer and fewer people at the direct
expense of the working class.
Even though the Western Cape is one of the best resourced provinces in the country, it
has been far from immune from these
trends. According to Wesgro:
Job losses lead to a vicious cycle of poverty for retrenched workers from the poorest
families, communities and regions in our
country, particularly the rural areas. These problems are further compounded by the high
costs of food, health care, transport and education. We must say loud and clear that this
can no longer be accepted.
Halt the job loss blood bath! Stop bully tactics!
CRISIS IN THE WESTERN CAPE GOVERNMENT
CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN WHITE RACISTS AND COLOURED
WORKING CLASS
When the Premier of the Western Cape, Mr. Morkel opened the Provisional Legislature, he talked about the achievements of his immoral coalition government, but he failed to explain to us “Who actually benefited from these claimed achievements?”
It could only be true that the elite (mainly white) who benefited in the past and are
currently still benefiting from his unholy coalition, are the very ones praising his
government whilst our people are hard hit by the high levels of unemployment and resultant
poverty. It is a fact that this coalition government has not lifted a finger in terms of
service delivery to
our people in Bonteheuwel, Manenberg, Gugulethu, Mitchell’s Plain, Khayelitsha and
the rural areas.
The latest developments within the NNP depicts tensions between Morkel and Marais that
are characterised by actual class
contradictions between the white racist oligarchy and Coloured working class. The NNP-DP
coalition government prefers a stooge like Morkel to manage the common affairs of the
racist capitalist oligarchy to the detriment of the working class.
Instinctively Peter Marais has opportunistically championed the concerns of the working
class by raising issues of poverty in the
NNP-DP coalition.
We therefore have a task in ensuring that the downfall of Marais is utilised to
mobilise and liberate the Coloured working class
from the ideological tutelage of the capitalist class represented by the puppet Morkel and
the DP.
Issued by
Gwebs Qonde - SACP Western Cape Provincial Secretary
On behalf of the SACP Western Cape Province
Tel – 021 448 7908
Fax – 021 447 7167
Email – sacpwc@icon.co.za