11 June 2002
The South African Communist Party (SACP) strongly condemns the Banking Council and its members for its discriminatory policies which lead to the eviction of HIV/AIDS orphans from bonded properties bought by parents who die from HIV/AIDS related illnesses (for the most recent case refer to Banks firm on AIDS orphans, Sowetan Newspaper, 11 June). In many cases, these policies are compounded by the refusal of insurance companies bond default claims because of HIV/AIDS related illnesses.
These policies are cruel, inhumane and reflect the poverty of private commercial banks and the insurance industry in our country on. Given the HIV/AIDS pandemic and its particular impact on employed workers, all financial institutions need to take measures to ensure that credit, finance and credit insurance are available to all people living with HIV/AIDS. Instead we have banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions either omitting such cover or discriminating against people living with HIV/AIDS.
The continuation of discriminatory practices in the banking sector displays the hypocrisy of the Banking Council as if there are no negotiations currently underway in preparation for the NEDLAC Summit on the Financial Sector.
In fact, these policies confirm that the Banking Council seeks to use every trick in the book to delay the NEDLAC negotiations and ensure that there is no substantial agreement on major issues as demanded by millions of South Africans. These delays in essence means the unabated continuation of racist and other discriminatory practices in the banks and the financial sector as a whole. The Banking Council is not committed to the transformation and diversification of the financial sector in our country.
The SACP does not accept the continued postponement of the NEDLAC Summit which has been happened three times already. The SACP demands the setting of a date for the holding of this Summit. The majority of our people expect no less.
CONTACT
Mazibuko Kanyiso Jara
Department of Media, Information and Publicity
South African Communist Party
Tel - 011 339 3621
Fax - 011 339 4244
Cell - 083 651 0271
Email-sacp1@wn.apc.org