24 October 2002
The Cabinet announcement on the establishment of the South African Social Security Agency is an important step towards consolidating a comprehensive social security system and dealing with the systematic poverty many of our people are caught in. The South African Communist Party (SACP) warmly welcomes this move and believes that such an agency will improve the system of distributing social grants. Through the 2002 Red October Campaign, the SACP has called for a major overhaul of our social security system.
The Red October Campaign also seeks to assess the performance of privatised pension pay-out systems with a view to review and consolidate the role of other public sector institutions in support of a comprehensive social security system. Specifically, the SACP believes that a publicly-owned Postbank network should be the preferred social security delivery system.
The establishment of the Agency adds impetus to the consolidation of public sector solutions in the area of social security. The public/private partnerships envisaged by government must be subordinated to the strengthening of the public sector through skills development and improvement in service delivery.
Through the 2002 Red October Campaign and other ongoing campaigns to mobilise poor and working people, the SACP will make its contribution to ensure that this agency is strengthened to deal with the many problems, gaps and shortcomings which exist in our social security system.
CONTACT
Mazibuko Kanyiso Jara (surname Jara)
Department of Information, Media and Publicity
South African Communist Party
Tel – 011 339 3621;
Fax – 011 339 4244;
Cell – 083 651 0271
Email – mazibuko@sacp.org.za;
Website – www.sacp.org.za