Land! Bread! Work!
15 January 2008
The recent announcement of the increases in the price of bread is for the SACP the latest capitalist assault on South Africa’s workers and the poor. It goes to prove what we have been saying that the current economic policies followed by government have only served to enrich principally the white capitalist class at the direct expense of the poor of our country. It is a direct outcome of a policy of ‘lowering the cost of business for business’, and the consequent allowing of the capitalist market to run amok. It basically marks the fact that basic necessisities and services to our people are now beyond their reach.
It is outrageous that government keeps quiet and does nothing about the deprivation of our people of their basic staple –bread - whilst the white capitalist class, and a tiny black majority continue to enrich themselves on the back of the poverty of our people.
The SACP is deeply worried by this growing commercialisation of basic services to our people and lack of action from our government to curb this trend. Enough is enough! People first and profits later!
The SACP did signal a warning when it was announced that the Competitions Commission had fined Tiger Brands for uncompetitive behavior that this fine should not be passed on to the consumer. Typical of capitalist greed, at the first available options Tiger Brand could not resist the temptation.
The SACP, in line with the demands of our 2004 Red October Campaign calls for an accelerated redistribution of land to, in the first instance, diversify the production of wheat and make space available for co-ops; with full government support, to produce bread for our people. This will go a long way to create sustainable and decent jobs and relieve our economy of the pressures inflicted upon it by the demands and logic of capitalism. We need to break the clutch that the so called ‘big four’ have over the production process of wheat, procurement patterns and can willy-nilly decide on the fate of small and emerging farmers thus increasing the price of bread as and when they so wish.
Equally, we urge government to urgently step in and stop this price increase. Similarly, we urge the Competition Commission, in support of the call made by FAWU, to further probe the uncompetitive behavior of the `big four` companies in both their vertically integrated milling and baking operations. We further call on the Department of Labour to urgently step in and rescue the plight of thousands of workers who earn slave wages and are exposed to unbearable working conditions.
The SACP, jointly with FAWU, alliance partners and various progressive organisations, plans to wage a huge battle against this exploitative and unethical conduct of big business. Ours is commitment to make this, the second decade of democracy, a decade for the workers and the poor!
Bread for all!
Issued by the SACP.
Malesela Maleka
SACP Spokesperson – 082 226 1802