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The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Western Cape Province convened a timely Augmented Provincial Executive Committee (A-PEC) Meeting on 7 November 2020, at Community House, Salt River, in a critical period where working-class revolutionary leadership is required more than ever before to respond to the threat of a resurgence of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), rampant criminality and deteriorating service delivery. 

The principal task of the first mask-mask A-PEC, attended by Districts structures and the Young Communist League of South Africa in the Western Cape, was to reflect broadly on the prevailing socio-economic challenges and political balance of forces (both international and local) to enrich our understanding in order to respond accordingly. The A-PEC also took place in the period leading towards by-elections across regions of the Western Cape and the country at large.

Fluidity of international balance of forces 

The international situation is very complex and fluid at the current juncture. However, the A-PEC observed the prospects of relative consolidation of Latin American progressive left politics in Nicaragua, Bolivia and Cuba. The US-instigated foreign aggression and destabilisation attempts of advancing the regime change agenda in Latin America has faltered. 

A-PEC also observed the fact that the European Union (EU) is in doldrums and its inability to respond to the global health and economic pandemic as well as the immigration crisis remain sources of grave concern. The A-PEC also noted the unprecedented situation where a sitting President discredits an election and brings into question the fundamentals of a democratic order through fascist, demagogic and polarising politics. The world over, particularly the EU, remains apprehensive about political shifts in the USA which may signal a return to respect for global multilateralism in the post-Trump era. 

The SACP in the Western Cape re-affirms the SACP’s concern about the deeply troubling situation in Nigeria and appeals for amicable resolution and avoidance of escalation for the sake of stability and peace. The recent coup in Mali and the deployment of “counter-terrorism” French forces in that country is a concern as it reflects a manifestation of neo-colonialism to the detriment of the role of the African Union. 

Finally, the developing political situation in Zimbabwe, including its impact on the state of the working class, remains a major concern. SADC needs to exercise its political responsibility firmly and decisively. 

Domestic politico-economic situation

The DA recently concluded its subdued elective federal congress with predictable leadership outcomes and regressive policy choices. These developments are directly relevant to the Western Cape as the DA is experimenting these regressive policies in a federalist mentality to deny the legacy of apartheid and therefore the necessity for equity, redress and transformation. The DA has abandoned its pretence to be progressively advancing the plight of the poor black majority. Rather, it signifies the return to serve unashamedly to its core constituency of White Liberals at the expense of the marginalised.

This approach of maintaining apartheid ill-gotten privileges at the expense of equitable development is made more visible in the DA’s approach to post Covid-19 economic recovery. The DA’s neo-liberal agenda is not interested in changing the underlying structure of the economy, which is dominated by the financial sector which is not inherently labour absorptive in a context of crisis levels of unemployment and racialised inequality and impoverishment. The DA government is not interested in building and expanding other sectors such as construction, manufacturing, and agro-processing, which are productive industries that have a potential to create jobs. Apart from supporting the financialisaton of the economy which reinforces economic exclusion and does not create massive employment, the DA styles itself as the technological hub that lends itself to the idea of intensification of e-commerce. None of these DA preferred pillars or drivers actually create sustainable quality jobs on a large scale. This means we are still going to be trapped in a crisis of increasing joblessness, racially skewed inequality, and racialised and gendered poverty.

The SACP A-PEC welcomes the second discovery of gas at the Luiperd well in Mossel Bay in the Southern Cape. The well is said to be about 175 kilometres off the coast of Mossel Bay and adjacent to the Brulpadda well, where gas was discovered in 2019. On these discoveries, the SACP in the Western Cape strongly supports calls for beneficiation, localisation and promotion of local employment and skills development. This development holds massive potential for the regional economic landscape as there are opportunities for upstream industries. 

In addition, the A-PEC also notes the launch of phase two of the Karoo Deep Drilling and the Geo-environmental Base Programme in Beaufort West. If successful, the exploration of the resource potential of the Karoo basin is expected to have between 30-trillion and 500-trillion cubic feet of shale gas, and possibly uranium, methane or coal resources.  The first phase of exploration by the Council of Geo-Science in Karoo led to the discovery of an estimated 33-million litres of fresh water a month, a major boost both for economic production and household use. However, the SACP in the Western Cape calls for meaningful attention to also be given to the environmental impact of the whole production process. 

The nexus between the criminal underworld, business, political elites and corrupt elements within the criminal justice cluster

There is a pervasive nexus between the criminal underworld, business, political and corrupt elements within the criminal justice cluster.  This criminal drug-lord network lives in the leafy suburbs of Cape Town, controlling the entertainment industry and of late extended their extortion activities to shopkeepers, vendors, small property owners, salons, township enterprises in general and workers. We have witnessed multiple gruesome murders in various townships presumably driven by turf wars or fights over spoils of crime.

Historically, criminal networks controlled drug territories and dominated nightclubs. However, a more recent manifestation of the pervasive stranglehold of criminal syndicates, in cahoots with local political elites, corrupt elements from the criminal justice cluster is the hijacking of developmental projects, in particular construction, and related services in exchange for so called “protection” outside the legal framework. Some unscrupulous political elites are leaders by day and gangsters by night by virtue of collaborating with criminals and accepting dirty money. 

The SACP in the Western Cape will continue with its efforts of social mobilisation of communities and development structures to expose and uproot this cancer. We will also continue to call for accountability of authorities as inaction signals scandalous complicity with criminals. In this regard, we demand the release of the report on the assassination of Colonel Kinnear. Further, we call for the probing of the South African Police Services in the Western Cape on its capacity to prevent, combat and investigate crime and corruption in the province as an attempt to get rid of the rot in the police services and related institutions. The independent investigation will help cleanse the SAPS of rotten men and women in blue who, instead of serving the people, are engaged in palace politics as well as crime and corruption.

However, it is curious that the Provincial MEC for Community Safety and Mayco Member for security, AT Fritz and JP Smith, respectively, are twiddling their thumbs whilst communities are terrorised and innocent lives are endangered. Their predictable reaction is to divert and shift the blame without lifting a finger or taking any responsibility. There is no evidence of implementation of the much vaunted Safety Plan. It must be clear to all that this DA government does not care about townships as their constituency in white suburbia is relatively insulated by private security apparatus. 

Thus, the SACP in the Western Cape calls for an effective integrated policing plan involving all law enforcement agencies led by a credible and incorruptible South African Police Services. 

Arrest Siyabulela Siswana killers and resolve other pending cases or risk the wrath of the people

The SACP Western Cape A-PEC meeting condemned with the strongest terms possible what appears as ineffectiveness on the investigation and arrest of the killers of our late District Secretary, Comrade Siyabulela Siswana. Siyabulela Siswana was cowardly assassinated at his home with his daughter on the evening of 1 July 2020.  Against this background, the SACP will picket outside the police Headquarters demanding accountability from the police on the Siswana case and cases of many leaders, members of the community, including members of the South African Police Services such as Constable Thandimfundo Sigcu, Sergeant Thabile Mapoma and Colonel Charl Kinnea.

Support for the overwhelming victory of the ANC in municipal by-elections

The A-PEC strongly supports the ongoing municipal by-elections campaign across the Western Cape which will be a litmus test for the 2021 local government elections. The strategic deployment of Red Brigades adds tremendous weight to the overall campaign effort and ultimately the overwhelming victory of the ANC-led Alliance. We note that the DA has already retreated in some wards and not fielded candidates but instead supports independent candidates, as the case of ward 51 in Cape Metro shows. 

Ahead of the 2021 local government elections, we reiterate the SACP 4th Special National Congress resolution to rebuild the movement within the context of a reconfigured Alliance as a basis to ensure realisation of people’s power. However, we must emphasise that the SACP asserts the centrality of a credible candidate selection process, uncompromised election machinery led by hard working, committed and credible individuals. We will unapologetically reject any candidate list process that promotes selection candidates on the basis of the “Eye of the Faction” as opposed to the Eye of the Needle.  Equally, the SACP in the Western Cape will reject any election machinery that is constituted on the basis of a particular strong lobby group within the movement. We further call on the ANC not to include the beneficiaries of the unaccounted one million rands which was distributed on the eve of the 2019 elections.

Hunger eradication, healthcare, human settlement and water for all

The A-PEC resolved to build on the momentum of the launch of the 2020/2021 SACP Red October Campaign focusing on hunger eradication, provision of universal access to health, provision of human settlement and water for all (HHH & W). Further, the SACP in the Western Cape will campaign for the granting of credit amnesty by the Credit Bureau following the economic hardship imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. We embarked on this campaign before the outbreak of Covid-19 which led to extension of working hours in health facilities. 

Further, we reject the lies that the City of Cape Town reduced water and sewerage consumption tariffs. This is fallacious because we know the City has kept the excessive charges. Therefore, we will continue to agitate and protest against these charges. 

Best wishes to the matric class of 2020

The SACP in the Western Cape sends best wishes to all those who are sitting for their final examinations.  A special congratulatory note to the teachers who toiled against all odds in order to prepare the class of 2020 for their examinations. Covid-19 exposed the realities of structural inequality, in particular the schools in poor communities and former “Model C” schools. The uneven resource allocation in the schooling system perpetuates the status quo in the education sector. The SACP in the Western Cape calls on the Western Cape department to start now to prepare for 2021 by ensuring that there will be no more overcrowding in all our schools.

Issued by SACP Western Cape