YCLSA National Committee Statement
Johannesburg
Sunday February 22, 2015
The Young Communist League of South Africa [uFasimba] convened its 1st plenary session of the 4thNational Committee in Johannesburg, Gauteng from the 20th February to the 22nd February 2015. The National Committee, the highest decision making body of the YCL SA outside of congress, reflected on both local and international issues and also received the political report by the National Secretary, the organisational report by the Deputy National Secretary, and the financial report by the National Treasurer.
The National Committee received a political induction by South African Communist Party Second Deputy General Secretary Solly Mapaila and Central Committee member Cde Charles Setsubi, where they prepared us politically and ideologically for class battles ahead.
This meeting was convened after a successful completion of the Joe Slovo right to learn campaign which was launched in Sekhukhune, Limpopo. The YCLSA has been crisscrossing the country visiting schools and institutions of higher learning. We have adopted schools which we feel need our assistance and vow to work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the doors of learning are opened and that we make education fashionable. The YCLSA will redouble its efforts to eliminate the financial exclusion of students in institutions of higher learning. We will not tire until we attain free quality education from Grade R until under-graduate at least.
The National Committee discussed ways to advance the resolutions of our recent 4th National Congress which was held last year in Cape Town. The National Committee in particular would like to convey the following important points:
Chris Hani Inquest
The National Committee welcomed the decision by Minister of Justice, the Honourable Michael Masutha for declining the parole application of Clive Derby Lewis for his role in the assassination of Comrade Chris Hani, a giant of the liberation movement, Clive Derby Lewis must rot in jail. We will only show sympathy to Derby Lewis if he shows true repentance for his crime and reveals all those who planned and executed the assassination of a South African Communist hero.
As the YCLSA, we will continue with our campaign to reopen the inquest into the assassination of Comrade Chris Hani. Such an inquest will also assist in understanding the international balance of forces and role-players and how some pro-capitalist international actors have interest and often act on that interest mischievously, maliciously, and even violently in our country.
SASOL
The National Committee resolved to call for the re-nationalization of SASOL as a strategic national asset established by taxpayers money. SASOL must immediately start work on Project Mafutha, a coal to gas plant, as agreed to in 2007. SASOL cannot continue to invest in imperialist states such as the USA creating jobs for Americans while our people in wait for the jobs promised through the promised SASOL coal to gas plant. Also SASOL cannot continue to use Israeli software technology companies creating profits for Israeli companies while our young people and enterprises with the necessary skills remain un-employed.
Disruption of Parliament
We condemn the hooliganisation of Parliament by anti-majoritarian, lumpen proletariat in Parliament. The young thugs who wear red berets are representatives of the criminal elements in society and have displayed such criminal behaviour in the august house that is the National Assembly. Their focus should be on paying SARS and dealing with the financial mismanagement of their spazashop. We condemn the jamming of the cell phone signal during the joint sitting of parliament and call for a thorough investigation. Those responsible for this heinous act must be brought to book.
We condemn the private media houses that are extensions of the opposition who are hell bent on portraying a picture of a black democracy in decline. In the aftermath of the chaos witnessed in Parliament, white dominated private media houses chose to advance a narrative that democracy in South Africa is on the decline and black South Africans are inherently corrupt. We call for progressive, fair and balanced media that seeks to expose the truth instead of this one that is engulfed by maximization of profit based on falsehoods.
Democracy in South Africa is on the ascendancy, and great strides have been made in the consolidation of democracy in South Africa after the transition in 1994. Dissidents and detractors forget that the freedom of speech never existed before 1994. Prior to 1994, the EFF would have been arrested and jailed for life under the undemocratic, white minority led Apartheid regime. Indeed our democracy is extraordinary as properly captured by the president of the republic.
Youth Wage Subsidy
We call for the youth wage subsidy to be scrapped. The recent study by the University of Cape Town clearly indicates that the employment tax incentive has had no significant impact on youth employment creation. We therefore call for the National Treasury to redirect the R5 billion over three years into education and skills development. The R5 billion from the failed youth wage subsidy can be used to strengthen our work in education and skills development through existing Technical and Vocational Education and Training [TVET] institution and the Sector Education and Training Authorities [SETA's] as well as increasing the funding for the National Youth Development Agency or NYDA for youth development programmes.
Palestine and Venezuela
We pledge our solidarity with the people of Venezuela and condemn the recent coup attempt on the Socialist government of Nicolas Maduro. This CIA sponsored coup attempt on a successful socialist regime under the United Socialist Party of Venezuela is totally unacceptable and must be strongly condemned.
The YCLSA will be officially participating in the upcoming "Israeli Apartheid Week" Campaign between the 2nd and 8th of March. We will mobilise all our provincial structures, districts and branches to participate in this progressive campaign which is in its 11th year. In particular the YCLSA undertakes to mobilise our members to join the Israeli Apartheid Week protest which will take in Sandton on the 8th of March outside the 1st Israeli Trade Expo due to take place at the Sandton Convention Centre. For as long as Israel practices apartheid against the indigenous Palestinians we will make sure that this will be the 1st and last such Israeli trade expo on our soil!
NSFAS
We are deeply concerned about poor leadership and mismanagement displayed at the Tshwane University of Technology. The recent eviction of poor students at TUT residences is deplorable given that TUT has not claimed its full allowance from NSFAS. The R9.5 billion allocated to NSFAS has not met the demand of the working class students. We demand more funding for NSFAS and a new Board Chairman of NSFAS to be appointed as soon as possible by the Minister of Higher Education and Training to address the administrative deficiencies at NSFAS.
All students who registered and pay their registration fees must be funded by NSFAS. NSFAS must become the vehicle for free, quality, compulsory and relevant higher education. We are also calling for the forensic audit of NSFAS officers which will ultimately lead to the discovery of the monies that were stolen through students who unduly benefited from NSFAS. We call on SETAS to increase their contribution to NSFAS.
Having analyzed the education system in our country, we are resolute that the quality of basic education is at the centre of producing genuine educated society. However our education system is content based, it requires a student to remember in order to pass and it does not allow students to be creative and contribute positively for the development of society.
Financial Sector Transformation
The financial sector in South Africa remains untransformed and continues to be the domain of a dominant oligarchy. We call on NEDLAC to immediately convene the 2nd Financial Sector Summit before the end of 2015.
National Youth Policy
We welcome the consultative process towards a National Youth Policy as unveiled by the Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Buti Manamela. The draft youth policy is focusing on the following four key areas: economic participation, skills development, behavioural chang
As the YCLSA we are more interested in both economic participation and skills development. Young people in the country are excluded from economic participation and are in dire need of skills development. We will be submitting our inputs into the policy and we encourage our structures to full participate in the consultative process.
F.W De Klerk
As the national committee of YCLSA, we find the attacks by former apartheid President F.W. De Klerk on communists in South Africa unprecedented and quite shocking. Former President F.W. De Klerk articulated his views at a recent engagement with the South African Press Club that he feels everything is okay in South Africa but his only concern is the influence of communists on government.
We want to say to F.W. De Klerk that that everything is ok in South Africa, the only concern is you! If F.W. De Klerk does not agree with the influence of communists in government he should join his capitalist friends in Australia. Communists are here to stay.
The YCLSA remains committed to fighting for a socialist South Africa and we will tenaciously assemble building blocks for building a South Africa free from all forms of racism, sexism, tribalism and exploitation of one class by the other. To this end the YCLSA will be developing a Roadmap for Socialist Development in South Africa. Capitalism in South Africa has had its day. The triple crisis of poverty, inequality and unemployment continues to be reproduced and deepened as a result of historical capitalism in South Africa.
Statement issued by the National Committee of the YCLSA, February 22 2015
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