Post Provincial Executive Committee Statement: Justice for Chris Hani and liberation forces; Socio-economic justice for the working class!
29 October 2022
The SACP Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) in the Western Cape held its last ordinary plenary meeting for the current year on Saturday, 26 November 2022, in Bellville, Cape Town. As per our established tradition and practice, the meeting was extended to our respective Districts and the Young Communist League (YCL) and of course with the pre-eminent participation of our Central Committee deployee, Comrade Barry Mitchell.
The meeting received and considered political, organisational and financial reports which provided an indication of the growing strength and influence of our Party in society in general.
The SACP remains concerned about the self-inflicted weaknesses plaguing the African National Congress in the Western Cape, in particular, which leads to debilitating paralysis.
On the international front, the meeting expressed extreme concern about the growing provocative and reckless posture of the United States in world affairs. The US, European Union and NATO’s provocative stance against the Russian Federation, China and Iran, risk plunging the world into chaos.
Justice for Chris Hani, apartheid victims, his family and the entire liberation movement
Our PEC meeting was preceded by the protest action outside Khayelitsha magistrate Court against the unconscionable premature constitutional ruling to release, on parole, Chris Hani’s assassin Janusz Waluś. This was the second action in the province following a joint ANC Youth League and SACP programme on Thursday, 24 November 2022 outside the Cape High Court. The SACP views the judgment as fatally unjust and predicated on poor interpretation of the law and the centrality of justice. A just ruling would take into account the complexities and nuances of our history and the danger the release poses on the fragility of our path of reconciliation.
We are gravely concerned about the insensitive nature of the judgment towards the Hani Family and the liberation movement. The family and the people of South Africa deserve the truth in order for the deep wounds to heal and justice to prevail. It is our strongly held belief that law and justice are not always synonymous. The Justices of the constitutional court placed emphasis on law in a mechanical fashion and ignored the need for justice hence this judgment is completely unacceptable.
Therefore, having launched our Chris Hani Campaign in the province, our demonstrations shall continue until 10 April 2023 and beyond calling for re-opening of Chris Hani inquest and rejection of the release of the racist Janusz Waluś. Against this background, the SACP in the province shall use the State of the Nation Address as a platform to further picket outside parliament and present the memorandum to the President and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development.
The untenable socio-economic situation in the Western Cape
In the recent past, the SACP witnessed a devastating strike by SANTACO due to unreasonable withdrawal of the Blue Dot programme and incessant impounding of taxis. The Western Cape Government treats the taxi industry with absolute disdain to the detriment of throngs of working-class communities who depend on this service for their daily commute to and from work.
The discriminatory treatment against the taxi industry perpetrated by the DA administration is not only undermining the taxi industry but compromises the job security of the users.
Against this background, the SACP calls on SANTACO to intensify the struggle for the transformation not only of the taxi industry but of the entire public transport system. In this struggle, the SACP resolved to join the taxi industry as an active participant in the struggle for the transformation of the taxi industry, a critical sector of our economy. Thus, in the new year 2023, we shall have a bilateral meeting with SANTACO as the basis for plans for the mounting of further mass actions.
Re-affirm our longstanding call for large-scale commission of inquiry into the police
Recently, the SACP also learned about the infiltration of the higher echelons of the police in the Western Cape by criminal gangs. We are neither shocked nor surprised by these revelations, on the contrary, we feel vindicated because we have long pointed out that the tentacles of the rot run deep in the police in this province. We have seen gangs running top cops and other criminal syndicates hence the bravado that culminated in the killing of a former police General Kinear, amongst others.
Against this background, we reaffirm our position that the police service in the Western Cape, in particular, and National, in general, must be subjected to a commission of inquiry because in its current form, the SAPS has no capacity to effectively prevent, combat and investigate crime. This is the only possible solution to root out bad elements within the police.
Devastating recurring fire disasters in Masiphumelele and other working-class communities
The community of Masiphumelele in Fish Hoek is once again engulfed by a devastating fire disaster that destroyed personal belongings, displaced hundreds and even loss of livelihoods. These recurring disasters are purely a consequence of gross neglect by the Democratic Alliance Government not only towards the poor residents of Masiphumelele but all working-class communities from Du Noon, Philippi, Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein, Imizamo Yethu to mention a few.
This situation of vulnerability and insecurity is a direct consequence of the flagrant failure to provide decent houses in keeping with the population growth of the province.
Further, the present crisis the working class faces in these squatter camps are as a result of the neo-liberal and austerity trajectory the DA government is pursuing of key amongst other things putting profits before people. The SACP demands the provision of shelter, sanitation, and safe drinking water for the people of Masiphumele, Du Noon, Khayelitsha, Phillippi to mention but a few.
The untenable situation in the Western Cape Revolutionary Alliance
As the SACP we have worked tirelessly to ensure a vibrant, dynamic and campaigning Alliance in the Western Cape. We have embarked on several joint programmes with the Trade Union Federation, our principal Ally, the Congress of South African Trade Unions. We continue to cement this revolutionary responsibility of rolling back the tyranny of the market and austerity forces. Our campaigns are about forging working class unity, working across federations and civil society organisations to bring about socio-economic justice in this province.
We remain extremely concerned, however, about not only stagnation but paralysis besetting the African National Congress. The ANC remains paralysed and weakened to a point that in the legislature the ANC is limping due to incapacity to act against those who are supposed to be expelled from the ANC. On this question, the SACP calls for all those who are charged with serious crimes to be removed as public representatives. In essence, keeping members who are charged with serious crimes undermines the ideals of the renewal of our movement.
Let us intensify the struggle to roll-back neo-liberalism and austerity-call for the unity of working-class organisations
The PEC discussed and analysed the wage and salary negotiations and deadlocks across all sectors of the economy. The present situations in these wage and salary negotiations confirms what appears as an intersection between capitalist market forces and the state. The below inflation salary offers from either the state or private sector such as Makro is one classical example of this intersection. Against this background, the SACP calls on the trade union movement to not backdown from the fight. The present salary and wage increase must be linked with the broader struggle against neo-liberalism and austerity. The Party in the province shall remain committed to pledge solidarity with the workers across sectors and looking forward to a new date of the public sector march to parliament for the salary increases of public sector workers.
Safe and joyous festive season
The SACP Western Cape PEC wishes all the citizens of the Western Cape a restful, safe and joyous festive break which is well deserved by the toiling masses of our people who continue to bear the brunt of austerity and economic hardships. We appeal to our people to enjoy the festivities responsibly and importantly remain safe on the roads and in places of entertainment.
Best wishes for the 2022 Matriculants
The PEC took time to wish those writing matric well in their exams and trust that they have adequately prepared for their exams and the future that lies ahead. The opportunities within the higher education landscape await and therefore encourages the matriculants to seize such opportunities to improve the quality of life for the better in future.
High number of unplaced learners for 2023
The PEC is concerned about the reported unplaced learners estimated to approximately 17 000 in the province. We call on the department to ensure that these learners are placed before the re-opening of schools in 2023. There cannot be a crisis of unplaced learners in the province on the basis that the same DA led government closed a number of schools. If these learners are not placed, the SACP will mobilise society and fight these injustices for our people.
Issued by SACP Western Cape Provincial Executive Committee, 29 November 2022
