The Congress of South African Trade Unions wishes the South African Communist Party (SACP) a successful 15th National Congress starting today 13th July 2022 at Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni. This year’s congress is convened under the theme “Together, Let us Build a Powerful, Socialist Movement of the Workers and Poor”.

The vanguard of the working class is meeting at a time when South Africa is continuing to deal with a stubborn economic crisis which means that the social and economic conditions which exclude blacks and Africans from the mainstream economic activity persist. Our legacy of Colonial and Apartheid Capitalism has seen the socio-economic conditions of the working class being worsened. The country remains confronted and crippled by the challenges of persistent poverty, unemployment, and extreme inequalities.

The SACP needs to reflect on the gloomy reality that the policy choices made by the democratic movement have failed to decisively deal with the essence of colonialism and apartheid capitalism. The colonial and apartheid economic and political policy platform is firmly intact, twenty-eight (28) years after the democratic breakthrough.

Redistribution of income has not occurred; the means of production and power remain concentrated in white capitalist hands; control of the economy is still in white hands; the strategic sectors of the economy remain highly monopolised and foreign owned.

This has led to the rising popular discontent, a growing sense of alienation, frustration and sometimes despair amongst a significant stratum of the youth, the unemployed, and the working poor. This has resulted in waning popularity and hegemony of the ANC and all formations of the democratic movement being challenged. The current political crisis faced by the African National Congress is the crisis of the entire movement and the SACP Congress needs to reflect on these challenges and come out with answers.

On the International front, the Latin America region has been electing left governments from Chile to Colombia, while in the BRICS bloc the left governments are experiencing serious retreats with some electoral wins by rightwing governments in recent years in India and Brazil. The loss of elections by progressive governments represents a strategic setback which merits a deep analysis by the left and revolutionaries, from which important lessons must be learnt.

We wish the delegates successful and productive deliberations.

Long Live the SACP, Long Live!

Issued by COSATU
 
Sizwe Pamla (Cosatu National Spokesperson)

Tel: 011 339 4911
Cell: 060 975 6794