COSATU supports the ANC’s call for an activist government

11 January 2016

The Congress of South Africa Trade Unions congratulates our ally and the oldest liberation movement in the continent, the African National Congress {ANC} for hosting a successful rally on Saturday ;celebrating 104 years since its formation and also where a customary annual ANC NEC message was delivered by ANC President Cde Jacob Zuma The giant liberation movement also used this opportunity to declare 2016 as the:THE YEAR OF ADVANCING PEOPLES’ POWER: LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS IN YOUR HANDS

We are happy as the federation that the ANC NEC used this occasion to recommit itself to a programme of action that will fast track the process of eliminating the apartheid legacy of exploitation and inequality and to bring about socio-economic emancipation. We are fully behind the ANC’s efforts in fighting the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment in our country. We are happy to see that the NEC has re-affirmed its commitment to building an active and interventionist state that will play a bigger role in the economy. We totally agree with the  view that we need an activist government.

In order to achieve thorough economic development; the state has to increase its capacity to intervene in the economy.

There is an urgent need to act firm against corruption, maladministration and incompetent leadership across all levels of government. We totally agree with the ANC that the Land Act marked the beginning of all the problems that we face today, such as landlessness, poverty and inequality. All other discussions will become academic if we fail to address the issue of the return of the stolen land back to its rightful owners.

What we have learned of late, with the racist incidences, is that the policy of “accommodation” and the mythical rainbow nation does not exist and has become a farce. We cannot afford to offer simple solutions to complex problems and continue to convince ourselves that if we only avoid confrontation with the enemy, he will forget his evil and racist ways and learn to love us.

What we need to realise is that we are in a war against race fuelled exploitation and dispossession and we need to realise that we’re in a war that must be won. We cannot buy peace by committing an immorality and an injustice of allowing those, who stole, killed and pillaged to not only keep their ill-gotten spoils but to continue to poke us in the eye, with their racist vitriol.

We congratulate the ANC led government for releasing the National Health Insurance white paper for discussion and comment. As a workers’ federation, representing the exploited class, we fully the support the NHI and the principle of universal healthcare. We know that socio-economic issues if left unattended can erode the workplace gains by unions. We pledge to continue to fight for transformation of the public health system and against the pillaging of resources by the private health industry.

Moving forward we expect that all of these set goals will be achieved as long as there is unity within the ANC and its alliance partners. We call on all ANC members and alliance partners to work hard to strengthen all the structures of the movement and to promote unity, hard work, and integrity within the Alliance

We are happy that the NEC has reiterated the message from the 2015 National General Council (NGC) for the movement to address creeping internal tendencies such as factionalism, careerism, gate-keeping, slate politics and other divisive practices in the movement.

The federation supports the ANC’s position that our local government representatives must have the trust and confidence of the community where they live and serve and that local councillors, must be chosen by the people themselves as we go to the local government elections. Our federation will fully support the ANC in the upcoming local government elections and we will campaign vigorously for an overwhelming victory.

We know that the ANC remains a disciplined force of the left, a multi-class mass movement and an internationalist movement with an anti-imperialist outlook. We expect it to continue to have a bias towards the poor and the working class, the majority of whom are black and African, until we have achieved equality and socio-economic freedom.

COSATU salutes the ANC NEC for adopting an activist and anti –imperialist international policy position that supports the struggles of the people of Western Sahara, Palestine and the end of the blockage against Cuba.

We expect the president of the ANC , Cde Jacob Zuma and his cabinet to ensure that the commitments made by the NEC statement will find their way to his State of the Nation Address [SONA}] and eventually to the Budget and programmes of government.

Issued by Sizwe Pamla, National Spokesperson, COSATU, 11 January 2016