ANC alliance must not be ‘distracted by factional politics’‚ says Nzimande

09 January 2016 - 15:03 By TMG Digital

South African Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande urged the ANC alliance partners on Saturday not to be distracted by “factional politics” by its enemies and other detractors. Speaking at the African National Congress’ 104th anniversary celebrations in Rustenburg in North West‚ Nzimande urged the alliance partners instead to focus on what united them now – the necessity to drive a second‚ more radical phase of the democratic transition.“As a united force we need to transform our economy to create jobs and other forms of sustainable livelihoods.“Let us work together to address and finally resolve the problems of persisting crisis levels of inequality‚ unemployment and poverty‚” he urged.Since 1994‚ the country had made huge progress in the area of social delivery. However‚ there had been a lack of economic transformation to support this just cause‚ Nzimande added.“Ownership patterns in our economy remain largely unchanged except for a few individuals who have been inserted in the untransformed ownership structures on a private basis. Management control and many professions in industry still largely reflect the history of the apartheid workplace.“Our economy is still largely dependent on the export of raw materials to the extent that it becomes very sick or incapable to meet government commitments when the prices of those raw materials fall. We are still hugely dependent on the imports of finished products and production dominance if not complete private monopoly or oligopoly in certain sectors by multinational corporations.“We have not developed national self-sufficiency. This is a threat to our revolution and the very same social advances we have achieved since 1994. Our Alliance economic resolutions must be implemented in earnest‚” Nzimande said.“None of our Alliance partners can go it alone and on their own succeed without the rest of our unity‚” he cautioned.He also urged the alliance to “work together to mobilise our society against racism”.“Much as we support the ANC’s call to pass legislation to criminalise racism‚ as the SACP we say the foundations of the struggle against racism must be the intensification of the struggle for thoroughgoing economic transformation.“For us as the SACP the struggle against racism must essentially be a struggle against capitalism. Capitalism‚ racism and patriarchy are the three tripartite partners in evil. We must fight all of them together‚” Nzimande asserted.“This is why‚ as the SACP‚ we are firmly saying the second radical phase of our democratic transition must principally be about a radical overhaul of our economy‚ in favour of the workers and poor of our country.”..

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