COSATU NCape supports re-election of Zuma, Motlanthe and Mantashe
Anele Gxoyiya |
18 November 2012
PEC also condemns publicity stunt by Helen Zille and her lap dogs when they marched to Nkandla
COSATU NORTHERN CAPE PRESS STATEMENT FROM THE PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. Introduction
The Congress of South African Trade Unions in the Northern Cape held a meeting of the Provincial Executive Committee from Wednesday 14 November to Thursday 15 November 2012 in Kimberley. That meeting was tasked with the responsibility of looking at the state of the federation and the role that we play in the society at large. We held our PEC against the backdrop of the many challenges facing the workers and the working class in the province, in our country and the world.
After discussions and debates the PEC took the following decisions for implementation as part of our organisational programme of action moving ahead:
2. On Political issues
The PEC noted the current political environment in the country and the high levels of opportunism and mischief by the opposition parties in an attempt to put the ANC government on the back foot. We also noted the ongoing process of the BGMs by the ANC branches in preparation for the National Conference in Mangaung.
-->
The PEC therefore resolved as follows:
We condemn the publicity stunt by Helen Zille and her lap dogs when they marched to Nkandla, interfering with the work of the Public Protector whom they called upon to investigate the issue of the renovations to the President's private residence
We support the call by the National Office Bearers and the National Department of Public Works for the Public Protector to investigate any wrongdoing in the process of effecting such renovations. Until such time we call on Zille and company to stop political grand standing and wait for the outcome of the Public Protector's investigation.
We call on the branches of the ANC to focus more on the policy discussions ahead of Mangaung so that the ANC can emerge with a clear programme of improving the lives of the working class masses of our country
-->
We continue to support the progressive resolutions of Polokwane and will always demand for the implementation thereof in an environment free of looting of public resources, hence we call for drastic action to be taken against the looters of public funds
We re-affirm the resolution of the COSATU CEC to support the leadership of President Jacob Zuma, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and Secretary General Gwede Mantashe beyond Polokwane to ensure the speedy implementation of the progressive resolutions in favour of the working class masses
There is a need to strengthen the NEC of the ANC with the working class leadership to give a practical meaning to its bias towards the working class. This can only happen if the branches of the ANC can purge the organisation of the negative tendency of selfishness and loss of focus on the working class issues
We will engage the ANC leadership to discuss strategic issues of governance so as to ensure the smooth delivery of services to the poor
-->
We call on the workers to continue to swell the ranks of the ANC and the SACP to ensure a solid alliance with a common programme of action
We will continue to work with the progressive structures of civil society and mobilise the masses of our people into a common programme that seeks to elevate their issues into the agenda of government. We will do this in order to provide our ANC led government with a mirror to reflect their strengths and weaknesses in bettering the lives of the people
We condemn the peddling of lies by the DA leadership in their quest for access to power in the province. Patricia de Lille is supposed to know better that there is no one who is getting a double salary in our government, including the Acting Premier
Our people must not allow the DA to feed them with lies in their current door-to-door visits. People need to know that they are desperate to grab power in the Northern Cape and we will work very hard to stop them from doing that
-->
We need to convene an urgent bilateral with the SACP to finalise our joint programme of action
We commend the ANC on a decisive electoral victory in the by-election in ward 10 at Gasegonyana municipality and thank the working class for continuously showing their confidence in the ANC despite all efforts by the opposition to discredit our 100 years old movement
3. On Organisational Issues
The PEC made an assessment of the state of the federation in the province and made the following resolutions:
We need to defend the federation from counter revolutionary attacks that are targeting our affiliates
We will fast track our programme of providing support to the weaker locals so that we help them to implement programmes of the federation
Our programme of induction of locals will take place between February and March 2013
We will intensify our campaigns and take them to the locals to entrench the hegemony of the federation in our working class communities.
Affiliates
There is a need to improve membership service to ensure that the affiliates remain relevant to their members
We will convene a Provincial Shop Stewards Council in Kathu on Saturday 24 November 2012 as part of our programme to defend NUM
4. On Socio-economic
We note the slight growth in population as shown by the census 2011 results handed over to our province on Tuesday 13 November 2012 and we are of the view that it is nothing to be excited about as the numbers in our province were boosted by the incorporation of some areas from the North West
It is our considered view that a fully fledged university in the Northern Cape will help boost the population and increase government allocation of resources
However the current high levels of outflow of people from our province will persist if there are no jobs created to retain the students in that university and other institutions
We condemn and will continue to oppose any attempts to reduce public spending on the provision of basic services, particularly health. We remain resolute that PPPs will compromise the provision of such significant services as the private sector remains obsessed with profit maximisation
The current low input of student nurses with the output even lower compromises the provision of quality public health to the working class people and results into a demoralised and demotivated nursing staff which appears as not caring for the public
The current challenges facing the medical aid schemes in the country present a fertile ground for the acceleration of the NHI, however the chronic shortage of medical personnel makes such an implementation impossible
We pledge our unwavering support to the workers of Sishen Iron Ore mine and call for the reinstatement of all the dismissed workers in line with our national demand
We will, together with the NUM engage with the management of that mine to stop solving a problem by plunging the mine into a deeper crisis because the dismissal of workers is not a solution but it deepens the socio-economic crisis
The recent uprisings by the farm workers in the Western Cape is a direct challenge to the government to intervene and put an end to the exploitation of vulnerable workers
This provides an ideal opportunity for the review of the Sectoral Determination for farm workers and the introduction of improved working conditions
We call on the labour inspectorate to intensify their monitoring and enforcement in the farms and be honest about the challenges they face in the process
We will call for a joint stakeholder summit between the Department of Labour and the Department of Land Reform to discuss the challenges in the farming community and how they can be resolved
In 2013 we will commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Soulspoort Dam Bus Disaster with a national May Day rally that will be held in Galeshewe Stadium
The recent sudden passing of the five employees of Sol Plaatjie Municipality at the Homevale Waste Water Treatment plant came as a shock to the entire federation in the province. It is a serious setback for health and safety in the workplace
We convey our deepest and sincere condolences to the families of our fallen cadres who, like true soldiers, died with their boots on. We dip our banner in respect of their selfless service to the municipality
We call for an independent investigation into the circumstances that led to this unfortunate incident
The recent water crisis in Kimberley smacks of high levels of incompetency within the municipality. We call for another investigation into the matter and for action to be taken against incompetent officials
We wish all the learners who are currently writing exams, including those that were unfortunately prohibited from attending school by violent protests, all the best in their endeavour to shape their future
Statement issued by COSATU Northern Cape Provincial Secretary, Anele Gxoyiya, November 18 2012
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter