SACP LIMPOPO PEC STATEMENT: The new tendency on the backfoot in Limpopo Province

The South African Communist Party Provincial Executive Committee in Limpopo held its ordinary meeting on the 18^th of November 2012 in Polokwane. The meeting deliberated on the international developments with specific focus on China, Syria, Palestine and Swaziland on the one hand, and the national developments with specific reference to appalling attacks on the leader of the revolution, the people and the country -President Jacob Zuma.

On the international front the SACP PEC noted with appreciation a successful 18^th National Congress of the Communist Party of China especially given the fact that China is one of the few remaining countries that are led by a communist party and are building socialism, albeit under extremely hostile environment which is characterized by capitalist globalization and imperialist onslaught against the workers and the poor in developing countries such as Africa, Asia, Latin America and parts of Europe in the former Union of Soviet socialist Republics.

China thorough the leadership of the Communist Party leadership is building socialism with Chinese characteristics and she is able to feed, clothe, shelter and educate over a billion people. A reality that the imperialist countries like the United States of America are unable to achieve for their citizens despite their sham democratic system which they want to impose upon countries like China and Africa. The SACP PEC salutes the CPC in roundly rejecting the US' democracy model which is in favour of the ruling elite.

In addition the leadership transition in the CPC is highly commendable and it was reminiscent of the past SACPs 13^th National Congress which was without leadership contestation. This is seen as a true affirmation of collective leadership, democratic centralism, people driven development as opposed to individual ambition which is connected to and supported by bourgeois classes on an international scale. The SACP PEC believes that this matured form of deciding leadership would soon be embraced by the ANC as it moves into Mangaung.

The SACP PEC condemns in strongest possible terms the tendency of imperialist countries to wage coups against popular sovereignty of other countries such as Syria, Libya and Ivory Coast. In addition the support for Israel by the United States is abhorred especially in the light of recent attacks on the Palestinian people by the Israeli military forces. The United States is notorious of double standards and the masses of the working class internationally unite and rise against this global neo-colonial power.

The SACP PEC is disconcerted by the fact that as our Alliance partner, the ANC is preparing for Mangaung in December, here in Limpopo Province, the leadership nomination processes in terms of BGMs are overseen by the ANC PEC and REC deployees, who in some instances either disrupt or sabotage the Branch General Meetings, by among other things running away with packages in situations where President Jacob Zuma is a preferred nominee for ANC President. And also where delegates who will represent the will of branches are not on the side of the rejected ANC PEC slate issued in October as part of unduly preempting branch choices. This rejection of the New Tendency has placed the new tendency on a back foot since their preferred leadership collective is not enjoying sufficient support in the so-called home branches for some regional or provincial leaders.

Despite the disruptive tendency that is demonstrated by these deployees where in some branches they have been responsible for distributing T-shirts that bears the face of their preferred candidate as well as giving money or food parcels to ordinary members like rice in Giyani, the branches of the ANC in their numbers continue to vote to the contrary thereby displacing and further weakening the tenderprenuers in this province who have made our organisation, the ANC, their personal fiefdom.

It is against this background the Party PEC resolved to support the leader of the revolution, the people and the country Comrade Jacob Zuma to continue to lead us the President of the ANC and Alliance leader beyond Mangaung. This will allow him to continue to decisively implement the Polokwane resolutions in order to effectively address the challenges that face the rural masses and the working class in fighting against poverty, unemployment and inequality as demonstrated by the progress he made on the five key priority areas that has been identified for the current administration.

The Party particularly supports the President on how he has over the past few years since Polokwane worked so hard to strengthen the alliance, instill discipline amongst ANC members as well as retaining the true values of the movement. We will ensure that our members across the province, in their own right as ANC members, continue doing by voting for ‘continuity and change' and defeat the new tendency that has looted the state to a point of bankruptcy here in Limpopo.

The PEC condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the publicity stunt by Helen Zille in leading a march of six people to visit and inspect the President Zuma's home in Nkandla which undermines the President's right to privacy. Her visit borders on a racist conviction that blacks are inherently corrupt and should be condemned to poverty for the rest of their lives. If anything, as the Party in the province, we are of the view must preoccupy herself with the continuing farm workers' strikes in her province and improving the lives of black people in areas such as Gugulethu and Khayelitsha who are still living in squatter camps ,rather than poking her nose on other individuals' private lives.

Finally the SACP PEC resolved to support the call by the SACP in Kwazulu-Natal as for the introduction of a legislation that will ban hurling or portrayal of insults directed against the persona of the sitting President of the Republic particularly Jacob Zuma.

Statement issued by Gilbert Kganyago SACP Limpopo Provincial Secretary, November 21 2012

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