SACP EC on the statement by nine Cosatu affiliates

The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Eastern Cape has noted with great apprehension the statement attributed to nine affiliates of our ally the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) in the Eastern Cape.

It is in this context that we would like to condemn their reported criticism of our party and our General Secretary Cde Blade Nzimande and put it categorically clear that the SACP has indeed taken the side of the federation in relation to the characterization of the challenges facing Cosatu and to that end the respects Cosatu's internal processes.

The Central Committee of our Party, respecting and having confidence in the internal processes of Cosatu, decided not to keep quite against a different agenda informed by business interests disguised as genuine revolutionaries yet they know what they represent has nothing to do with the working class. It is our view that even the call for a special congress reflects the continued attitude of the leadership clique of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) that demonstrates a point of no-return, so the special congress is designed to co-opt the workers on the agenda that has been decided already.

We note that some of the commentaries at the outcomes of the SACP Augmented Central Committee are not responding to the questions we are raising but are evasive.

We wish to add our voice as the SACP in the Eastern Cape by urging organized workers to refuse to be co-opted to any agenda that seeks to divide and dessert a movement they have built over decades with their sweat and blood. YES!

As a movement under the leadership of the ANC we have weaknesses and challenges but equally we have made great progress which cannot not even be compared to a South Africa under the oppressive regime of apartheid and anyone who divides the movement is part of the agenda to roll back our gains as to building a country require unity and collective efforts. Let us refuse to be misled self-proclaimed magicians who think that building a country is a picnic.     

Statement issued by Siyabonga Mdodi, SACP Eastern Cape Provincial Spokesperson, December 4 2013

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