SACP Eastern Cape , Provincial Council Declaration, September 29 2013
We the delegates of the South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Eastern Cape gathered at Skenjana Roji District in the East London City Hall in our 1st session of the Provincial Council of the 6thProvincial Congress as sanctioned by the constitution, gathered under the theme "Beware! One enemy in many colours, defend our gains".
We are gathered here coming from all over our province representing branches from nine (09) SACP Districts including the YCLSA. We have after applying Marxist- Leninist tools of analysis hereby noted and believe that:
The council noted with great shock and sadness the passing of Cde Jeremiah Njanja "Tshepo Wa Dikapeso" Semudi. We convey our heartfelt condolences to his family and comrades and salute Cde Tshepo for his service to the party and our people with great commitment and commit to continue to struggle for socialist South Africa.
SACP
The South African Communist Party continues to be the leading working class organisation in our country representing the interests of the working class as whole and the only organisation of the working class capable to fight and defeat the oppressive system of capitalism as a lasting solution to problems confronting the majority.
We believe as members of the South African Communist Party representing branches of our party and the poor where we come from that it is the defeat of capitalism as system that will truly signify the dawn of freedom for all. We remain convinced that the attainment of socialism as our strategic objective is not only possible but desirable.
Alliance
We firmly believe that the alliance remains the only tool at the hands of the working class as and as such constitutes the bedrock in which the majoritarian character of our democracy is built upon.
NDR
We believe that the unity of the alliance is not only an important condition for furthering of our revolutionary goals in the short and medium term but such unity is directly linked with the SACP long term goal of building socialist South Africa hence we regard the National Democratic Revolution not as a detour but a direct route to socialism.
We as council further believe that as the party our approach in the current era of struggle should be anchored on the tradition of the congress movement whose aim has always been to unify the people's camp, isolation of the primary enemy and neutralisation of our opponents.
We believe that the party has both the ideological and political capacity to unite the working class to be a class in itself and indeed a class for itself and not be reduced into a spectator pinning their hopes into some messiah.
Therefore we declare that:
That the province of the Eastern Cape must be guided to move with speed to deliver on the transformatory mandate of our ANC led government.
WSU
That it is in the interests of both the province and the country that a long-term and sustainable solution is found on the challenges facing the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) anchored in our education transformation mantra: people's education for people's power.
We therefore call for an urgent convening of an inclusive stakeholder education summit to craft and adopt a comprehensive integrated programme to unlock all the existing bottlenecks and set the institution on a transformational and sustainable path of stability, productive teaching and learning. It is in this context that the Provincial Council has called for establishment of a Statutory Education Commission in our country to define and draft the agenda of an education system capable of putting our country on a total different path, as the current education system both basic and tertiary is incapable of taking our country forward.
Health
The health system in the province continues to face structural challenges that limit our capacity to respond to the urgent needs of our people.
Therefore we declare that the crisis that is exhibited in the National Health Insurance pilot in the O.R Tambo region is interlinked with the lack of bulk infrastructure and our relative inability to decisively direct the form and content of the NHI project in general such that it is mostly at the mercy of quasi-experts whose loyalty to the founding aims of the NHI is questionable.
The medical depot in Mthatha must remain opened with the express intention to root out the apparent corrupt elements that continue to plunge it into recurring crisis which robs the state of millions of Rands.
Provincial Plan
We are calling for the speedy completion of the Eastern Cape Provincial Plan as led by the Provincial Planning Commission whose main pillars amongst other things is the re-industrialization and comprehensive Rural Development Strategy for our province.
Elections
As the SACP work tirelessly in ensuring the decisively victory of the African National Congress (ANC) in the 2014 general elections. We view these elections as an important platform for the congress movement to reclaim its traditional base and maintain close contact with the people as bases for increasing our parliamentary majority in order to deepen the National Democratic Revolution.
Vacancies
The SACP Eastern Cape Provincial Council filled vacancies which were as the result of the SACP 13th National Congress constitutional amendments and election of other PEC members to the Central Committee. The following Comrades were elected:
SACP 2nd Deputy Provincial Secretary: Cde Sithembele Zuka
SACP Deputy Provincial Chairperson: Cde Noncedo September
SACP Ordinary PEC Member: Cde Ntomboxolo Maheneza
The council wishes to express its best wishes to the above comrades as part of the Provincial collective.
Statement issued by the SACP Eastern Cape, September 30 2013
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