ANC-SACP-COSATU-SANCO Alliance Summit Statement, February 25 2011

The two-day ANC-SACP-COSATU-SANCO Alliance Summit held on 24-25 February 2011 at the St George Hotel in Tshwane discussed a wide range of issues confronting the Alliance, which included the ANC's preparedness for the upcoming local government elections.

The Summit was a resounding success and the Alliance emerged more united than ever after an intensive and fruitful discussion on the Local Government elections and the Alliance Programme of Action for Fundamental Transformation of our Society.

Officially opened by President Jacob Zuma, the Summit also served to remind cadres of the Alliance's common historical mission and vision to contribute towards the realisation of common strategic objective to create a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society.

The meeting adopted the ANC Local Government Election Manifesto, which is to be launched on Sunday 27 February in Rustenburg and agreed to implement its common programme of action to give the ANC a resounding victory. As we prepare to fight the local government elections, we declare our readiness to face the electorate to explain and acknowledge the challenges we face at local government.

Alliance Programme of Action for Fundamental Transformation of our Society

The Summit conducted an extensive discussion on a programme of action for the Alliance. This was broadly agreed and is being finalised and will be issued in due course.

It was agreed that the subjective conditions for a more united and effective Alliance have been established. A qualitative shift is indeed underway and that, if the aspirations of the great majority of South Africans are to be achieved, then we must advance, deepen and defend in action our Alliance's strategic and programmatic unity.

Each Alliance formation, over many national conferences/congresses, has reiterated the need for the Alliance to continue. There is consensus that the that the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) is our key strategic programme as long as the struggle to liberate Black people in general and African people in particular has not been fully achieved. The fundamental objective of the NDR is to create a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.

Other issues reflected in the Programme of Action include decisions to:

• Strengthen the Alliance through organisational building.
• Broaden the mandate of international relations to address issues closer home in such countries as Swaziland, Lesotho and Botswana.
• Refine the new growth path at an Alliance meeting solely dedicated to it.
• Put resources and assemble an Alliance Team to ensure the co-ordination, implementation of the programme of action.

The challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality in our society compel us to act together around common programmes to address these challenges.

Our programme of action provides us with an opportunity not only to work together, but to also bring on board the whole of society. We are now called upon to demonstrate our leadership of our people and our country.

The Summit strongly condemned the State-led massacre of protesters in Libya and demanded that a peaceful solution be found. The meeting expressed its solidarity with the people of North Africa and the Middle East in their mass struggles for human rights and democracy.

The Alliance congratulated the Proteas on their good start to the Cricket World Cup and sent them best wishes for success in the tournament.

Statement issued by ANC-SACP-COSATU-SANCO Alliance, February 25 2011

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