FOR IMMEDIATE RELEThe Eastern Cape Alliance Political Council, comprising the African National Congress (ANC), South African Communist Party (SACP), Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO), convened on 2 December 2024 at Canon James Calata House in Qonce to assess the state of the Alliance and develop a forward-looking program of action.
The meeting, led by Provincial Chairperson Cde Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane (ANC), Provincial Secretary Cde Xolile Nqatha (SACP), Provincial Chairperson Cde Noluthando Masango (COSATU) and Provincial Chairperson of SANCO Cde Vusi Ntshuba, reflected on the pressing political, socio-economic, and organizational challenges affecting the Eastern Cape and the broader national revolution.
The Alliance Political Council reaffirmed the continuing strategic relevance of the national democratic revolution, our historic shared strategy of struggle and democratic transition, and the Freedom Charter as the Alliance’s lodestar.
Reaffirming the Vision of the National Democratic Revolution:
The Alliance commits to work as a single unit to confront the matters affecting people of the Eastern Cape. Furthermore, the allies will work towards mutually reinforcing each other and find modalities on how the Alliance can function better under the current trajectory.
The Alliance recommitted to the principles of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR), the Freedom Charter, and the strategic goals of building a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, and prosperous society. Amidst rising poverty, unemployment, and inequality, the unity and cohesion of the Alliance remain central to addressing the socio-economic challenges faced by the people of the Eastern Cape.
The renewal of the Alliance, particularly the ANC, is a matter for the advancement of the revolution and bouncing back of the ANC. The agreed-upon Alliance Programme of Action revolved around the following thematic areas:
Key Outcomes and Programs:
- Organizational Renewal and Bouncing Back Program
For the first time since 1994, the ANC-led Alliance received less than 50% in the national vote. Recognizing the disillusionment reflected in the low voter turnout, the Alliance endorsed the three-pronged renewal program focusing on:
• Organizational Development: Growth in membership, robust political education, and improved recruitment processes and non – negotiable renewal of all alliance partners.
• Ideological Work: Reviving political consciousness through cadre development and strengthening political schools, including the OR Tambo political education initiative.
• Building Developmental Sate: Alliance will actively work and support the ANC alliance led government to improve its capacity on delivering on its mandate particularly the basic services.
The Alliance will work collectively to reclaim electoral support by addressing community grievances and strengthening its organizational presence at all levels.
- Ideological and Political Work:
In this regard, the alliance is to develop a comprehensive program on the following:
Theoretical Work – cadre development and theoretical depth of both the leadership and membership to respond to current challenges coherently is imperative and in this regard the ANC has adopted an OR Tambo political school scheduled program that forces all its cadres, inclusive of general membership, to undergo a five-module foundational course. This is a prerequisite for all to be selected and elected to leadership roles. COSATU will prioritize political commissions and the SACP will hold series of political schools.
Joint Alliance Political Program – the Alliance is to develop a joint political program and roll it out jointly, this will be rolled out using various approaches and capabilities.
- On Gender Relations and GBV & Femicide and Crime:
The Alliance applauded the recent joint operations of law enforcement agencies, led by the National Intervention Unit (NIU) which unearthed the modus operandi of organised crime syndicates in the province and has led to various arrests.
The recent statistics of the escalating crime levels, particularly in the Eastern Cape, which include attacks against women and mass murders is a reminder of the necessity to revise our approach to general crime and pay a particular attention to the crime against women and children. In this regard the Alliance will:
• Resuscitate the campaigns against GBV&F as the scourge is continuing unabated.
• Both the campaigns and structural setup of units within our society will be established to help fight this crisis.
• Alliance will revive the joint structure to fight GBVF.
• Lead campaigns at local levels against social ills e.g. GBVF, selling of counterfeits goods and expired/unsafe foods.
• Furthermore, the Alliance committed on the program of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children and alliance will lead from the front.
• Mobilizing communities against unlicensed firearms, drug syndicates, and gang violence.
• The mobilisation of people behind the fight-back against crime.
- Economic Growth and Job Creation:
The Alliance welcomed that Eastern Cape economy is reported to be out of recession after expanding in the second quarter and creating 83 000 jobs in the third quarter.
However, unemployment remains stubbornly high specially among youth this desperate situation is further amplified by the findings by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) that child hunger in the Eastern Cape qualifies as a disaster and should be declared as such under the Disaster Management Act.
Therefore, the Alliance program among other things will prioritize-
• Dedicate the next alliance session to develop a shared policy response as the economy of the country must grow at a much higher rate and create the much-desired jobs than currently is doing.
• Job creation to be the central policy goal in the Eastern Cape.
• Incentivize the retention of jobs located within the Eastern Cape in key priority sectors which in turn promote sustainable job creation across the province.
• Campaign for increased public investment of social and economic infrastructure in the Eastern Cape.
• Establish an Alliance team to collectively lobby and advance the Eastern Cape economic interests i.e to ensure that key economic institutions, such as Transnet, remain rooted in the Eastern Cape to stimulate provincial growth.
• The Alliance supports the attempts by government towards ensuring that all spaza shops are registered and goods and commodities that come in and out of communities are regulated to avoid poisonous foods finding themselves on shop shelves unregulated.
• Increased support for women and youth-owned enterprises and cooperatives.
- Social Transformation and Basic Services:
The Alliance emphasized the urgent need to combat child hunger, improve access to basic services, and accelerate infrastructure development. Priority areas include:
• Advocating for the immediate implementation of the NHI and BELA Act without further delays.
• Campaign for comprehensive social security which include introduction of universal income grant.
• Accelerate implementation of policies aimed at reducing inequality, improving access to education, healthcare, and housing.
• Strengthen the resolve to have water for all citizens in line with the RDP standards, building roads infrastructure networks.
• Strengthening housing, education, and healthcare systems.
• Ensuring universal access to water and sanitation in line with RDP standards.
- Governance and Ethical Leadership:
The Alliance underscored the importance of ethical and responsive governance, including:
• The state to effectively utilize its instruments of authority such as legislation, procurement etc to fundamentally change the structure, systems, institutions and patterns of ownership, management and control of the economy in favour of all South Africans, especially the poor – the majority of whom are African and female.
• Fight against state loot and the embedded corruption both in the state and in the private sector.
• Deployment matters to be consistently processed through the deployment committee that is inclusive of the Alliance partners.
• Building state capacity to deliver basic services and drive economic transformation.
• Fighting corruption within the public and private sectors.
Advocating for an equitable budget allocation to address the province’s unique needs as the current equitable share is not equitable enough.
- International Solidarity and Building a Better World:
As the people of the Eastern Cape, more than many other people across the world, we bear the moral obligation and political conviction to support the cause of the colonised, oppressed and besieged anywhere in the world.
We too fought for more than 100 years in the wars of dispossession and endured more than three hundred years of oppression, domination, displacement, discrimination and being treated as third-class citizens in the country of our birth. As such the Alliance:
• Strongly condemns Israel’s action in Gaza and West Bank, including military operations, blockade of Gaza, settlement expansion, and the displacement of Palestinians.
• The Alliance will continue to work with international solidarity movements, including Palestinian advocacy groups, and regularly participates in protest campaigns and educational initiatives to raise awareness about Palestinian cause.
• The Alliance supports the strategic expansion of BRICS, with the addition of new members in 2024, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt. BRICS now represents over 46%of the global population. This expansion is expected to contribute to over 50% of Global GDP by 2030, enhancing the bloc’s economic clout.
• The recent BRICS Summit offered tangible opportunities for the Eastern Cape. Investments in infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing, and the ocean economy will be critical to creating decent jobs and uplifting communities.
• Intensify solidarity with the Swazi People
• Campaign for the end of NATO induced war in Ukraine,
• Continue with the calls for the removal of blockade against Cuba by America.
Call to Action
The Alliance will intensify efforts to:
• The inclusion of the DA in the GNU poses a threat on advancing the transformative and progressive programs as evidenced by the BELA Act, foreign policy and opposition to NHI. As such, the Eastern Cape Alliance will intensify campaigns, both individually and collectively, for full implementation of these transformative and critical programs.
• In the first quarter of 2025, Provincial Alliance Plenary will be convened.
• Alliance to coordinate joint campaigns, with immediate being a campaign against selling of poisonous snacks which have killed children in rural areas and townships, call for implementation of BELA Act, NHI and fighting crime
• Build strong grassroots structures through regular regional summits and political education programs.
• Progressive Youth Alliance to convene its summit and joint political schools in the first semester of 2025.
• Alliance Gender Machinery to – we must be deliberate in capacitating this machinery, considering the scourge against women in this province. The Alliance secretariat to actively work on its resuscitation.
• The Alliance committed to avoid public spats and develop platforms from within to manage and resolve any contradictions and differences that may arise from time to time.
• The Alliance will take up campaigns where there are service delivery lapses, even where the ANC is governing.
• Mobilize communities to actively participate in addressing service delivery and socio-economic challenges.
Conclusion:
The Eastern Cape Alliance remains resolute in its commitment to advancing the National Democratic Revolution and improving the lives of the people of the province. As we move forward, unity, accountability, and decisive action will be the cornerstone of our collective effort to build a better Eastern Cape.
End.
ISSUED BY THE ALLIANCE POLITICAL COUNCIL:
ANC Provincial Secretary, Cde Lulama Ngcukayitobi
SACP Provincial Secretary, Cde Xolile Nqatha
Cosatu Provincial Secretary, Cde Mkhawuleli Gura Maleki
SANCO Provincial Secretary, Cde Tony Duba
Enquiries:
Gift Ngqondi
ANC Provincial Head of Communications
0849519924/0848439796
SACP Provincial Secretary
Xolile Nqatha
0823135005
COSATU Provincial Secretary
Gura Maleki
0823395482
SANCO Provincial Spokesperson
Simthembile Vayeke
0648588829
