11/07/2021
From chair
STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS IN KWAZULU-NATAL, CDE. SIHLE ZIKALALA MARKING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY ON 11 JULY 2021
Comrades and Compatriots
Introduction
We convey our revolutionary greetings and salutations to the entire leadership collective and membership of this great organisation, the South African Communist Party on reaching the milestone of a century of its existence.
One hundred fighting years is indeed a powerful accomplishment of struggle. In particular, we pay tribute to the founding delegates who, on 30July 1921, during the three-day conference in Cape Town had the foresight to formally establish the Communist Party of South Africa.
There are not many organisations that can maintain the momentum of sustaining the revolutionary course, making it relevant and stimulating it for 100 consecutive years. The South African Communist Party has steadfastly pursued a noble cause, adapting with the times from the very beginning and in the process attaining the position of being a conscience and the vanguard of our revolution.
Historically the SACP as part of the ANC-led Alliance was formed under specific conditions, which essentially were the common oppression of our people on the bases of race, class and gender. This common oppression naturally became the source of resistance by the alliance drawing in its ranks many revolutionaries who cherished the vision of a non-racial democratic society.
We look forward to the next 100 years of the SACP, particularly your valued, selfless and principled contribution to the achievement of our objective of the national democratic revolution.
Comrades and Compatriots,
Addressing the re-launch of the South African Communist Party on 29July 1990, our former President Nelson Mandela acknowledged the role of the SACP “as an ally in the common struggle to end the racial oppression and exploitation of the black masses of our country.
Madiba described this contribution as follows: “It has fought side by side with the ANC for the common objective of the National Liberation of our people, without seeking to impose its views on our movement…. the Communist Party has understood and respected the fact that the ANC is an independent body. They have never sought to transform the ANC into a tool and a puppet of the Communist Party.”
Indeed, after 100 years of coexistence and alliance, the Road to South Africa’s freedom has been long and arduous. We have marched proudly together in the unshakeable unity of the Tripartite Alliance, and all progressive forces.
We have learned from each other, influenced each other, complemented each other and together, won the liberation of our country.
To invoke the message by Cde Moses Kotane and the SACP leadership at the unveiling of the memorial to Cde Johannes Nkosi in Durban on 18 July 1953, “… liberation can only be achieved through courageous leadership and unity of the masses.”
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY AND THE ROAD TO A NON-RACIAL SOUTH AFRICA
We doff our hats to the first President of Zambia Kenneth “KK” Kaunda who played a leading role in providing support to the ANC in exile and to the struggles of all Africans in the continent and the world.
KK was the last of a generation of the founding fathers of African liberation who sadly passed away recently marking the of an epoch for a golden generation that included Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah, Robert Mugabe, Ketumile Masire, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Jomo Kenyata; Haile Selassie and , Nelson Mandela.
KK’s legacy of an Africa in solidarity with itself is the basis of our continental unity and the founding principles that will lead to political and economic unity under Vision 2063 of the African Union.
As we meet today, the struggle for liberation has gained momentum in eSwatini. This eventuality has been delayed for many decades. The struggle unfolding in eSwatini is a struggle for democracy, its success will help extricate the majority from poverty.
As we mark this great centenary of the SACP, our comrades in the Communist Party of China have also celebrated their centenary.
We extend to the CPC our greetings and good wishes on this milestone. We also express the desire that our fraternal relations in the councils of the world will grow. The CPC leadership of China serves as a great example of leadership that focuses on the country and not on itself.
In his publication titled The Governance of China, Cde Xi Jinping contributed a chapter titled “Achieving Rejuventation”. It is timely that I should quote him at this juncture:
“In the old days, the Chinese people went through hardships as grueling as storming an iron-wall pass. Its suffering and sacrifices in modern times were rarely seen in the history of the world. However, we Chinese never yielded. We waged indomitable struggles and succeeded in becoming masters of our own destiny. Imbued with the national spirit of patriotism, we have launched the great cause of building the country.”
Comrades, the Chinese Revolution is 72years old, and they still speak in patriotic terms about building the country. South Africa’s 27 years can still be characterised as a fledgling democracy. We cannot be too hard on ourselves, nor should we sit on our hands when all around us are demands screaming for our attention.
At this testing juncture of domestic tension, a global pandemic and a retracting economy, it is timely that we too should sit down to dialogue about rejuvenation.
THE HISTORIC ROLE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY
Comrades,
From the formation of the ANC in 1912 and the South African Communist Party in 1921 both organisation and subsequently the COSATU played a major role in our national liberation struggle till the formalisation of the Alliance.
In this regard, over the past 100 years in various forms:
The Alliance has always been reconfigured to keep pace with the times, and to play a major role in the forefront of our liberation struggle;
It was the Alliance, then called the Congress Alliance, that co-ordinated the Congress of the People in 1955, and the drafting of the Freedom Charter;
The role of the SACP in the formation of the MK, its operations and in all aspects of our liberation struggle in exile, and here in South Africa.
As the ANC we have dealt with our contradictions as a source of unity and a platform for mobilisation. There were times however, when we were forced to part company when the contradictions became irreconcilable. Painful cases in point include:
the breakaway of the Africanists in 1959;
the expulsion of the Group of Eight in 1975;
the expulsion of the Marxist Workers Tendency in 1985 and, more recently;
the breakaway that led to the formation of COPE.
Unity is always paramount but not at the expense of a fundamental body of principle. In all these trying circumstances we have relied heavily on the tools of analysis of the SACP as and Alliance partner, and on individual SACP members who play a role in the structures of the ANC.
THE GOAL OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION: WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIC TASKS OF THE ALLIANCE?
Comrades and Compatriots, the ANC remains a broad movement of the people with the historic mission to build a united and democratic South Africa that is non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous.
In the current epoch, the ANC has defined three strategic tasks for revolution, these are
Renewal of the ANC, its structures and cadres to restore its integrity ad leadership role in the society
Building unity of the ANC, the Alliance and the society.
Advance Radical socio-economic Transformation to address poverty and alter the current means of economic ownership.
As we meet today, these challenges in society stare us in the face. As collective leadership it is us who must confront these challenges armed with courage and the unbreakable bonds of unity that has historically been the fortress of our movement. We are also called to deploy our revolutionary morality as we walk the tight road between sections of the community.
The state is also an instrument of radical socio-economic transformation. For none of us must it be a tool for factional battles. In line with the objectives of the Alliance Political Council, we may even consider an incisive, inclusive dialogue among all progressive forces to take stock of the current challenges.
In celebrating this milestone anniversary of the South African Communist Party, let us stay true to the ideals of national liberation and economic justice.
The first prize for the ANC was to win freedom through the national democratic revolution. The entrenched inequalities in our society must be addressed by an uncompromising programme of Radical Socio-Economic Transformation as articulated in our conference resolutions. We have also been aware that Radical Socio-economic Transformation will not happen because we proclaim it.
The far-reaching transformation of our society can only happen through a daily grind at the coalface. Radical Socio-economic Transformation finds differing interpretations in our society. There are those who vulgarise Radical Socio-economic Transformation as corruption and looting without paying any heed to the fundamental necessity of Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment.
On the flipside are those uncritically focussed on the historic face of capital in South Africa as white and male. Neither the characterisation of radical socio-economic transformation as looting, nor the caricature of White Monopoly Capital as predatory are useful in moving our country forward.
Working within these systems whether the African Continental Free Trade Area, BRICS or SADC, we are constantly seeking the best outcomes for the empowerment of our people.
Noting our very specific material conditions, our programme on radical socio-economic transformation is geared towards developing a patriotic bourgeoisie as opposed to a predatory bourgeoisie. Witness the content of the National Development Plan, the Black Industrialists Programme, Operation Vula, the KZN Youth Fund among others.
Without these government-led instruments we would be confining our people perpetually to the periphery and the throes of poverty.
Our task in government we have to be constantly asking ourselves what is in the best interests of our people. As the Alliance we have agreed that the strategic tasks of revolution is:
Intensifying the fight against the Coronavirus;
Re-igniting economic recovery and job creation;
Building Social Cohesion, Fighting Crime and Corruption;
Delivering Basic Services in particular Water;
Building a Capable and Ethical Development State.
In addition, through the Vaccine Rollout Plan we have already covered the health workers, registered those over 60years and have now opened for those under the ages of 35. In time, with the availability and a more equitable distribution of the vaccines we will build a national defence against the Corona virus.
We also look forward to the roll out of universal healthcare through the accelerated implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI). This will assist in improved investment in infrastructure, human resources, health systems and human development.
VIOLENT PROTESTS AROUND THE INCARCERATION OF FORMER PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA
We converge here at a time where our province is engulfed by various protests, more significantly is the protest of those who call for the release of former President Cde Jacob Zuma. The imprisonment of former President has inflicted pain to many of us who value his contribution to the revolution. Equally, we respect and acknowledge the right of all people to protest, but we cannot condone destructive and violence protests.
We cannot over-emphasize the destructive and polarising impact of the current protests on our economic growth, the project of national unity and social cohesion. We cannot allow anarchy to reign.
Having said this, we must be wary of criminalising every protest against government. Such a reactive stance has the potential of driving resistance against our governing Tripartite Alliance and carries within in the seeds of our own destruction.
We do understand that there is a section of people who are disgruntled by the incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma. We are all faced with a rare moment in our history in which so soon after leaving the highest office in the land, a former President of both the ANC and the country, finds himself behind bars.
Our approach is to maintain the law, but more important it is to engage society towards a common understanding. We want to avoid the use of state-sponsored violence against our people. This is what some of the reactionary elements wish government to do. Our duty is to guard against all the elements that seek to benefit from the ensuing chaos and anarchy.
As Cde Moses Kotane commanded, “courageous leadership to the frontline, so that we may harness the unity of the masses”.
At this historic moment, we must take a position against both chaotic forces and parasitic capital. Let us build our respective movements and strengthen our Tripartite Alliance.
Let us work to strengthen our Tripartite Alliance so we can deliver a decisive victory for the African National Congress in the forthcoming local government elections, and work towards winning the national elections of 2024.
Let us make our stalwarts proud by unity in action – Charlotte Maxeke, Dorothy Nyembe, Ruth First, Phyllis Naidoo, Walter Sisulu, Curnick Ndlovu, Billy Nair, Emma Mashinini, Victoria Mxenge, Johannes Nkosi, Joe Slovo, Chris Hani, Moses Mabhida and many others. We have learnt lot from their contribution to the struggle for liberation, socialism and communism.
I Thank You!
