SACP Moses Mabhida Provincial Council statement
12 September 2016
The SACP had a successful Provincial Council held in Ethekwini TVET College (Asherville Campus).The PC was attended by more than 350 delegates representing more than 65 000 members from over 279 branches in 23 districts. Full complement of the provincial executive committee and the Young Communist League were also in attendance. The Council was also attended and addressed by the leadership of the alliance, that is, the ANC, SANCO and COSATU. The Council was also addressed by the YCL national leadership.
The alliance messages to the Council communicated a single message to the Party that it continues to be a valuable ally, as a Party of theory; party of activism, the Party that is tampered on untrammelled revolutionary history and discipline. We pledge to continue to live up to these attributes and resist and rectify any lowering of bar whether real or perceived.
The Council was appraised of the recent ANC provincial Lekgotla held in Drakensburg, Langalibalele District. The SACP was encouraged by the input made by ANC Chairperson, Sihle Zikalala which largely emphasized unity of the movement and the alliance and acknowledging the dangers of an ANC at war with itself, including the ANC and alliance. It’s a message that was largely accepted by the Communist Party. The Council has therefore proposed the drafting of a position paper by the alliance Secretariat and immediately convene alliance summit to map out implementation programme with necessary remedies on revitalization the ANC and its the alliance.
The Council expressed its dissatisfaction about the slow pace in solving the issue of political killings in the province. The PEC is then mandated by the Council to further engage the ANC and provincial government to arrest this situation. The situation like in Inchanga, if badly handled, has a potential to spark similar conduct in other areas where there could be simmering tensions. Alliance leadership must genuinely nip this unfortunate situation in the bud .The council endorse the commission appointed by the Premier of KwaZulu Natal Cde Willies Mchunu. The SACP will prepare a submission to the commission.
The Council took a deeper view further on the political instability in that area of Durban and noted:
1. The killing of people in broad day light including women, latest being Miss Nontsikelelo Blose; the dividing of community into factions;
2. The slow arrest of suspected murderers,
3. The peace initiatives underway in the area involving all stakeholders;
And believing that:
1. It is true that conflicts are informed by factional politics
2. No peace initiative can succeed without both the SACP and ANC being equally involved to solve the crisis.
The Council resolved on a need for real commitments on the alliance parties immediately begin the process of solving the matter. And further that:
The matter of Inchanga can and should not be resolved in isolation from other similar matters like Folweni, ward 57 and others.
We therefore propose to the ANC a joint alliance team to attend to matters of Gate Keeping, attend to violation of ANC guidelines and possibility of mechanism for a lasting peace in these areas, which may include calling for By- Elections where conflicts has been arrested.
On Previous Local Government Elections
The Council was held against the background of the post local government electoral outcomes and the implications that these have on our continuity onto the foothold of governance through ANC, our ally. As such the Council was foregrounded by an intensive but honest report by the Party research team on KZN electoral processes. The council was extremely concern about the outcome which paints an unpleasant picture and pointer to bleak possibilities going to 2019.
The Council congratulated its provincial foremost leaders, comrade James Nxumalo and Nomvuzo Shabalala both the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the SACP for their sterling work as both Mayors and Deputy Mayors respectively of the Ethekwini Metro. They led with diligent and their administration was solid, exemplary and achieved clean audits. The Metro is best positioned as a World city because the leadership they effected. The Council also commended its cadre Comrade Chris Ndlela for his sterling work as a Mayor of uMsunduzi Municipality. He lives the Municipality, the Capital city of the province, with solid administration and good governance. These cadres have flew the red flag high as leaders of government deployed by the movement.
The Council was taken through a detailed analysis of elections results and what they represent. It was agreed that the result of the local government elections do not augur well for the national democratic revolution and demands a deep introspection by the ANC and alliance formations. The Provincial Council, however concluded that the sudden surge of the DA led opposition was not the result of its strength and growth but rather it was reflective of the weaknesses in the ANC. What did not surprise the provincial council was the sudden marriage between the DA and EFF. The approach taken by the EFF of not committing to a coalition is symptomatic of a demagogic and opportunistic tendencies. The provincial council characterised this relationship between DA and EFF as political co-habitation (ukukipita in Zulu).
We make a call to EFF members to understand their leadership clique for what they are, that is, as nothing less than a tool of the right wing forces pretending to present themselves as left populist party articulating aspirations of the poor.
Whilst KZN is the only province that did not suffer the decline but the province would have done even far better if there were action taken where problems were raised with regards to selections of candidates. Important lessons have been learned in these elections, generally, that our people must not be taken for granted. One of the lessons is that, liberation history and track record alone is no more an inherent right to be in power but the continued stay in power is earned , through excellent service delivery, humbleness to the people and morally upright leadership provision that is averse to corruption and other social deviations.
The ascendency of the DA in Gauteng Metros which accounts for more than 80% of the country’s economy is a national calamity for all progressive forces and society. If this ascendency is not challenged through unified and heightened political work to the working class, it is not unrealistic to assume that DA, like in Western Cape, will entrench itself and use this ascendency as a springboard to win the Gauteng province and target Ethekwini metro to make inroads in KwaZulu Natal.
One of the strategic errors the revolution has committed since 1994 and successive electoral victory on an increased mandate has been the elongated honeymoon in aggressively tackling and altering the property relations, especially the white monopoly capital. We have done well in attending to the superstructure (state) whilst the base (economy) remained structurally intact reflecting the past. Where interventions have been made, has only been an act of tinkering on the fringes through BBBEE whilst white monopoly capital and redistribution of productive land remained untouched. This negative trend was captured in the government report of 2004, released by Policy Coordination and Advisory Services (PCAS) of the Presidency that observed that, white capital has benefitted more in democracy than it did during apartheid in the 10 years of governance. Any transformative pursuit short of progressive changes in structural design and class outlook of the economy in the process of social change is superficial.
In effect, the working class remain not liberated in South Africa. It is time now for grabbing the bull by its horns as part of the second, but radical phase of the NDR. But this requires the real change of hearts from those leaders entrusted with a responsibility to run government. The DA threat, if left unchecked, will weaken the holding hand of the ANC transformation power of racial character of our economy; thereby hollowing out the essence of the revolutionary mainstay.
To this effect, the Council reaffirms the call by the Central Committee of the South African Communist party on the revitalisation of the ANC by calling upon the urgent convening of the Consultative conference, Morogoro 2, for we strongly believe that this is a Morogoro Moment.
Our NDR and the Party for power
The Provincial Council was held under the theme “Now more than ever –The SACP has a vanguard responsibility for the NDR”
The party has been in tandem with the resolve for “A second, and more radical phase of our national democratic revolution”. But it is very clear that this “radical” phase of the NDR has not taken root because of self-interest and state capture by parasitic bourgeoisies; policy paralysis and emergence of turf wars in the movement with their adverse impact in government. This absence of the radical element of the NDR has occasioned sterility in the whirlpool; and has set in discontinuities in many Conference resolutions implementations by government.
While the ANC historically has been playing an important organisational form in the leadership of the NDR, but its pursuit is not and should not be reducible to, or simply be identical with the ANC only. Whilst the national democratic revolution is multi-class ephemeral revolutionary phase but historically as a theoretical conception and in its most essential trajectory, should assume an anti-capitalist path. In this logic, class hegemony of political power prosecuting such a phase becomes an important question of our time.
It is on the basis of the above context that the question of SACP and state power debate continues to loom large from our many lower structures of the party. But also there is also a consensus that the Party is not a narrow mechanical electoralist party. But that being the case, such a call by our structures for SACP to contest elections directly cannot be ignored as we proceed to the 14th National Congress of the SACP in 2017 nor should the CC interfere in ways that seeks to frustrate it.
The general point of departure is that the party must place a dialectical premium on building popular power (organs of popular power) pursuing different forms of social struggles for alternative to the status quo; including engaging with those pursuing single issue struggles. We must avoid the temptation of contrasting the popular power with electoral power but emphasize the two as mutually reinforcing without collapsing the other at the expense of the other. That approach would be not dialectical. In this regard, the Council agreed that structures of the party must continue to debate the issue and embark on extensive consultation inside and outside the Alliance.
Higher Education and Training turmoil
The Party is extremely worried about the current turmoil in our institutions of higher education and especially in Universities. We strongly condemn the burning of University property and support all endeavours in pressing ahead with prosecution of those responsible. No amount of anger can justify the destruction of public property established for generations to come. The Council was particularly worried about the demand for free education and no-fee increase by students leaders as only directed to government. But even more worse, is the sickening factionalist posture of the worst kind by the ANCYL of today to reduce the free education and no-fee issue to the Minister of Higher Education. Again, the PYA as a whole has been weak on its leadership to the crisis brought about #FeesMustFall except grandstanding and populism while trying to outclass each other. Our concern is that the PYA has never had an inclination to challenge the organized business (the ultimate beneficiaries of graduates) to fund higher education beyond scholarships and bursaries. We are calling for the following that:
1. Government must engage with business sector to consider additional percent on the skills levy contribution to be annually ring-fenced for higher education and training funding for both Universities and TVET Colleges.
2. Through Department of Trade and Industry department, that government considers using meaningfully and additionally, Lotto proceeds to fund higher education so that fee-free can be realized.
A capable state that is led by a resolute governing party cannot and should not fail to take those bold steps in the interest of higher education and training system in SA.
The Council has also expressed its concern on the interruption of academic programme in University of Zululand which has unfolded for a long period. At the base level of the instability are commercial interests of many groupings at the expense of workers and students. The University has always had problems which are well documented in the Assessors report, Administrators report, a report on the issuing of fake/bogus degrees and the sexual abuse of female students. The Council demand the immediate public release of these reports and a process to address all of these sitting problems.
We call upon the council of the university to call a university summit to look at ways in an all-inclusive and holistic manner in arresting the situation.
Water Sector issues.
The Council observed with a dim view the developments emerging on the water sector. The unpalatable reports have been emerging into the open through media for some weeks now. In KwaZulu Natal, these developments have been very serious. All of these bear the hallmarks of a stampede to capture the water sector in the province. This is manifested through the mergers of water boards. The method is similar to the one by the Guptas activities as they captured energy sector through groupings organized around some prominent figures. The Party vows to fight this development starting here in KZN.
We are concerned that this matter of the Water Sector happens at the time when there are serious wars for the control of the economy between the Established Capital and the Emerging capital which manifests itself in the form of massive push for state Capture and conflicts among and within State Owned Enterprises, an example being SARS wars.
Issued by Themba Mthembu, Provincial Secretary, SACP Moses Mabhida Province, 12 September 2016
