SACP reaffirms commitment to ANC alliance
By Stan Thompson
JOHANNESBURG — The 10th congress of the South African Communist Party (SACP), held here July 1-5 and dedicated to the memory of slain party leader Chris Hani, reaffirmed its commitment to the African National Congress alliance in the lead-up to national elections due by next May. This pledge was made despite growing opposition to the government's Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) economic program from within the ranks of the SACP and fellow alliance partner COSATU (Council of South African Trade Unions).
The congress, titled "Build People's Power! Build Socialism Now!", was the "first real opportunity for the party to take stock and assess its role and that of the ANC-led government since the historic victory of 1994", stated SACP deputy general secretary Jeremy Cronin. "It also comes at an important time as we lead into the elections next year."
The congress was attended by more than 600 delegates, including more than 70 international delegates from parties and organisations around the world.
However, President Nelson Mandela, whilst being awarded the Chris Hani Peace Award for his "ongoing commitment to peace in South Africa and around the world", delivered an unprecedented public attack on the SACP and COSATU.
Mandela told stunned delegates and international media that the ANC alliance partners had a right to discuss and debate policy and strategy within the confines of the alliance, but they should not go public with its opposition to GEAR "without considering the consequences of that action".
This is despite the fact that Mandela had admitted previously that GEAR was not properly discussed or debated by any of the alliance partners, including the ANC itself. Mandela nevertheless reasserted that GEAR was "set in stone" and would not be altered while he was leader.
ANC president Thabo Mbeki, the likely successor to Mandela, delivered an equally ferocious attack the following day. He took time to dissect and rebut controversial political positions contained in the congress draft documents.
Mbeki borrowed the slogan "Tell no lies! Claim no easy victories!" to assert that the SACP draft documents contained numerous errors and falsifications, added "presumably to influence its outcome". Mbeki concluded by advising the congress that the "death of the ANC ... would also mean the death of the rest of the progressive movement of our country".
Jeremy Cronin responded by assuring Mbeki that the alliance was intact and that the SACP was committed to building and strengthening the ANC and the alliance. However, Cronin reasserted the right of the congress to discuss and debate alliance policies, including GEAR, and to take up its arguments to alliance partners.
Over the following days, vast sections of the South African establishment media devoted headlines, editorials and feature stories baying for the blood of the SACP and congratulating Mbeki and Mandela for pulling their "recalcitrant" alliance juniors into line.
But back on the congress floor there were no apologies for opposition to the overall thrust of GEAR. Indeed, the commission dedicated to discussing "economic transformation" drafted a resolution calling for the SACP to reject GEAR outright.
Whilst the final resolution did not call for outright rejection, there could be no doubt about the overwhelming sentiment of the delegates that GEAR, in its current form, is no more than an off-the-shelf neo-liberal economic policy with South African packaging and that its "overall thrust must be rejected".
The congress also held significant discussions around documents on international politics, state transformation, economic transformation, building people's power, the national democratic revolution and arguably the most central document, "Our Marxism".
The declaration of the congress summed up some of the key resolutions as follows: 1. To continue to build and strengthen the SACP as an autonomous formation within the context of the ANC-led alliance. 2. To build the ANC alliance and recognise this as a "strategic imperative" 3. To work tirelessly as communists to ensure an overwhelming ANC electoral victory in 1999. 4. To reject the overall thrust of GEAR and reaffirm that a macro-economic policy on its own is insufficient. 5. To advance, deepen, consolidate and defend the ongoing National Democratic Revolution. 6. To build the all-round capacity of the South African working class.
The congress also marked a transition in leadership, with many new faces on the newly elected Central Committee. The CC has a mixture of many new younger cadre, COSATU militants and a handful of local, provincial and national government members (including ministers). Following the adoption of a one-third quota earlier in the congress, there are 10 women now on the 30-strong committee.
The popular incoming general secretary, Blade Nzimande, closed the congress by emphasising the need for members to step up their party-building efforts. In particular, he stressed the need for SACP members always to identify as communists in whatever forum they participated in and to reinforce and carry out the resolutions of the congress as summed up in the title "Build People's Power, Build Socialism Now!".
[For full details of congress resolutions, documents visit <www.sacp.org.za> or e-mail <sacp@wn.apc.org>.]