The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) welcomes Patrice Motsepe's contribution to the public discourse on a matter which seeks to restore the country's wealth to the people as a whole.
Numsa believes that the ANC led Alliance must now fast track the implementation of a framework within which nationalization premised on the socialization of the economic heights of the economy can be executed, the speedy implementation of an industrial strategy that would propel a developmental state to serve the needs and aspirations of the poor in our country in accordance with the Freedom Charter and alter monetary and fiscal policy such that the creation of employment and decent work could be at the centre of what the state does.
Numsa thinks that there is sufficient consensus on nationalisation within the Alliance for the ANC NEC to move beyond denial of this historically correct policy of the movement into the mechanics that would propel nationalization into action.
For Numsa nationalization was never just about the acquisition of the mines into public hands BUT as the Freedom Charter says: ‘the national wealth of our country, the heritage of South Africans, shall be restored to the people; The mineral wealth beneath the soil, the Banks and monopoly industry shall be transferred to the ownership of the people as a whole; all other industry and trade shall be controlled to assist the well-being of the people'.
Numsa also calls on the South African state to nationalise the South African Reserve bank so that it may serve a developmental agenda that creates jobs and decent work to lift our people out of poverty and misery imposed by capitalism.
We are confident and certain that the SACP Special Congress underway in Polokwane will lead our society to achieve the nationalisation and socialisation of key and strategic sectors of the South African economy. A better life for all will evade us unless we become bold like a Chavez or Morales of this world.