Issued by: North West Communications Service
AN ADDRESS BY POPO MOLEFE, PROVINCIAL CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS AND MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TO THE PROVINCIAL CONGRESS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY MMABATHO CIVIC CENTRE 20/04/96
Chairperson, delegates, comrades and friends, it is not often that a leader of one political party is invited to speak at a conference of another political party.
But then the relationship between the African National Congress and the South Africa Communist Party is not an ordinary one.
Our relationship has been charted by the extraordinary circumstances of our history. Our shared experiences and struggles have created a bond of mutual understanding and respect between our respective organizations. We share a common destiny at the centre of which is a commonality of values, principles and patriotism for a common fatherland.
Perhaps more importantly, we share a common responsibility and duty towards our people who in the past two years have shown that we can be entrusted with specific political mandate to lead them in reconstruction and development.
I therefore warmly welcome this opportunity to speak at this august gathering of may friends. I also wish to convey fraternal greetings from the North West provincial executive committee of the African National Congress and the broad membership of the mass democratic movement.
The year 1996 marks the second year of democratic rule. It is also the 75th anniversary of the South African Communist Party, and the 84th year of the foundation of the leading component of the democratic alliance and the majority party in the Government of National Unity, the African National Congress.
The short period in which we have been in government has been one of achievement and which offers hope for the future for all our people in the province.
We have succeeded in consolidating the position of the democratic movement in critical institutions of political power. The legislative machinery and executive authority have moved beyond the stage of preparation and are now in full control of the processes of institutional transformation and reconstruction and development. Although we are functioning within great financial limitations, we are confident that we have laid the correct foundation on which the quality of life for all our people is eventually going to be changed for the better.
The overwhelming victory of the democratic movement in the recent local government elections has not only reaffirmed the mandate we received in April 1994, but it has also broadened the scope in which we can drive the democratization process without having to contend with reactionary political forces.
The demise of our political detractors has cleared the way for us to mobilize the masses and civil society organizations to take active part in the transformation of the key socio-economic institutions and society as a whole.
We have put in place a comprehensive programme to rationalize the civil service, narrow the wage gap between top management echelon and junior staff, to achieve gender equality and to redeploy the civil service corps so as to take services to the historically underserviced rural areas.
The government has adopted rural and urban development strategies as policy frameworks within which our local government structures as instruments of change can operate in leading local reconstruction and development.
There is no longer any basis for doubting the commitment of traditional leaders to democracy as a foundation for sustained development, and we are confident of their co-operation in this regard.
The province is characterized by comparatively high levels of political stability and great interracial harmony. Our nation building efforts have been supported by the broad masses of our people and minority groups. We are encouraged by the manner in which the Afrikaner community has supported our implementation of the social integration policy, especially with regard to the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in government schools.
The sensitive way in which we dealt with the issue has given fresh impetus to reconciliation, and the Afrikanerweerstandbeweging has been left with virtually no rallying point for its arch-conservative minority ideologies.
These are some of the achievements which we believe are positive indicators that the process of all-round transformation is on firm foundation indeed. We have been encouraged by the development of shared pride and confidence among the people in the province. The general population is infused by a New Patriotism, the nucleus of which is a burning desire to make the province a comfortable home for all, and a heritage for generations to come. These achievements, Chairperson and dear friends, should not allow us to affect an attitude of complacency and presumptuousness.
The democratic alliance has inherited a house that was designed by an architect whose qualifications are in doubt; it was built by a bricklayer whose intentions were diabolical. We have reinforced the foundation, but there is a lot more to be done to make the structure a safe shelter for all. The roof is still leaking, the cracked walls are still admitting chilly wind.
Before the April 1994 democratic elections, we have heard privileged charlatans proclaim that no black man can successfully rule a country as sophisticated as South Africa.
After the victory of the liberation forces in those elections, it was as difficult to find to anyone who supported that thinking as it was difficult to find anyone who believed in apartheid before.
But elections having the unique ability to entice people to show their true colours, we saw the co-called signatories to democratic rule somersaulting during the local government elections to denounce the RDP as an election gimmick of the ANC and a failure. Suddenly the socioeconomic imbalances in our society were created by the liberation forces.
It is now history that the victims of these apartheid-created imbalances were not fooled. After the ANC won these elections, the dust has settled and everyone is now working for change again. For now.
I say for now because after the adoption of the new and permanent Constitution, the enemies of total transfer of power are going to take out the gloves and fight with bare knuckles to try to reverse the progress we have made so far. We are going to see new alliances being formed. New parties are going to mushroom overnight, seemingly as champions of the masses. Old parties and one-man bands which one would have thought have been consigned to the scrapheap following their dismal performance in the last elections are almost certainly going to be revived.
Their common motive power is going to be to preserve minority selfish privilege by undermining this democratic government. These parties are going to make attempts at political high ground by exploiting issues of delivery of basic services and governance.
The Democratic Alliance needs to be in a state of preparedness to meet this challenge. It will not be an ordinary party-political contest for the levers of power for retired and bored business people who want a change of scene like it often happens in developed democracies, but it is going to be a dog-fight between the liberation forces and the masses on the one side, and selfish reactionary forces on the other.
The democratic movement will have to expedite economic growth and development, and take strong measures to address the challenge to create new jobs and new wealth that would improve the standard of living and the quality of life for our people.
We cannot succeed in this task unless we confront the apartheid legacy with bold and decisive measures to accelerate the restructuring of government-supported institutions and the private sector institutions to level the economic playing field.
MASAKHANE
The alliance must act as a united force and engage these challenges expeditiously so that these institutions can be in a position to deliver affordable services to our people, to create jobs and to attract investment. All alliance structures, from the branch upwards, must be in the forefront of the battle to mobilize community-participation in development issues that are designed to improve the quality of social infrastructure, including housing, communication, education, health, water and sanitation.
At its provincial general council of last weekend, the African National Congress resolved to take decisive steps that would ensure that local development assumes a mass character and is mass-driven.
At its provincial general council of last weekend, the African National Congress resolved to take decisive steps that would ensure that local development assumes a mass character and is mass-driven.
In the context of the Masakhane Campaign, we have sent clear instructions to branches to provide leadership and to engage youth, workers, students, women, churches and business groupings in local economic development.
It is going to be necessary to work together with local government structures, the South African Communist Party, the mass democratic movement, COSATU, progressive community-based organizations and state departments and converge all resources on this campaign.
We trust that all democratic formations are going to link up and work with local councils. We are certain of the co-operation of all members and components of the alliance with these councils.
ECONOMY
We all have to take on board the challenge of opening up the economy to allow for entry into the economy of small and medium enterprises, especially black business. The government has adopted rural and urban development strategies in terms of which all resources can be mobilized to facilitate black economic empowerment, job creation and investment.
We have begun the process of land ownership reform to ensure that emerging black entrepreneurs can begin to look seriously at small scale farming. The continuing process of restructuring is intended to transform the parastatals to ensure that black business and women are able to obtain credit, training, information technology and support.
In this endeavour, we need to take on board all progressive trade unions, the Party, community-based organizations, educational institutions and civil society to support the transformation process.
To ensure co-ordination of efforts, the ANC has resolved to establish an RDP Provincial Council before the end of June with the specific mandate to formulate and monitor development policy. I am happy to extend this formal invitation to this congress to consider favourably its membership of the Council.
CRIME
The end-product of the transformation process, that is economic growth and development, cannot take place unless we take strong measures to combat criminal activity and lawlessness. In particular, we need to mobilize all communities to join hands with the police service and SAPU and POPCRU in their difficult fight against crime. The branches of the democratic movement need to play a pioneering role in the national struggle to fight car hijacking, assault on women and children, possession of guns and ammunition, rape, murder, housebreaking, shoplifting, receiving stolen property, corruption, prostitution and drug-trafficking and other crimes.
The ANC supports and encourages all community initiatives that are taken to tackle issues that breed criminal activity, and we support the establishment of community policing forums.
Comrades should encourage communities to report all criminal acts and suspicious movements to the police, and in the event of arrest should not fear to testify in court.
CHALLENGES
Chairperson, comrades and delegates, these are some of the challenges that we need to meet in a concerted and decisive manner to bring about economic growth, sustained development and lasting peace. In laying the foundation for prosperity and stability, we need to correct the organisational weaknesses at grassroots level.
The fact that the Alliance is in a strong position in government and the legislative authority is not a substitute for serious work at the grassroots to build strong branches. Apartheid backlogs cannot disappear on their own without all of us contributing to correct the socio-economic imbalances, poverty and joblessness.
These then are the challenges facing the ANC, the Alliance and the Mass Democratic Movement.
i) To consolidate the political hegemony of the democratic movement and translate it into the bulwark behind reconstruction, development and democracy. To this end we should build a sense of cadreship, leadership and comradeship within our branches.
ii) To ensure that the democratic movement is always conspicuous and that it determines the pace, the terms and beneficiaries of development.
iii) To work seriously to develop the youth sector, starting from the eradication of child molestation, neglect and exploitation; the provision of quality education and training; and job creation.
iv) To build strong and democratic, accountable and efficient local government institutions that are going to transform our towns and townships into centres of economic activity and high levels of human development.
v) To put Masakhane on the agenda of grassroots structures.
vi) To expedite black economic empowerment and higher levels of investment.
These are the challenges of our times.
In conclusion Chairperson allow me to address myself to the truth and reconciliation commission and its purposes.
The more than four decades of apartheid rule was characterized by extreme racial polarization that was punctuated by a low intensity civil ware fought between the liberation movement and the apartheid armed forces. In the course of the conflict gross violations of human rights were committed: people were killed, maimed, tortured or made to disappear, women were raped.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is empowered to enquire into these atrocities, and establish the names of the victims and the circumstances under which their human rights were violated.
The ANC NEC has established a subcommittee that is going to set up structures in the provinces to which comrades can address their problems, queries or complaints. These structures are also going to assist in identifying victims of apartheid atrocities and advise people on matters of law-and procedure. The underlying principle of the whole exercise is to heal the wounds of the past, forge reconciliation, common nation-hood and national pride.
The ANC seeks to mobilize all its structures, human rights groups and other roleplayers to pool their resources to ensure that the process succeeds in its mission to unite and reconcile the people of the province.
THANK YOU
POPO SIMON MOLEFE