The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the city of Cape Town has noted and welcomed the agreement reached between Western Cape local government and housing minister Richard Dyantyi and Cape Town mayor Helen Zille, saying it should reduce tension and instability in the city.
Cape Town metropolitan district secretary Luthando Nogcinisa said it was ”our understanding the agreement lays to rest the tension and disagreement about changing the mayoral system in the city of Cape Town”.
The agreement also creates two additional sub-councils, which will be chaired by African National Congress (ANC) appointees.
”This tension and instability had threatened to put service delivery issues on the backburner and to reduce democracy into a contest between narrow political elites.”
”However, the SACP in Cape Town is concerned that the Dyantyi-Zille agreement can have the effect of reinforcing elite notions of democracy and further marginalising service delivery issues whilst political elites manage their differences.”
”It has to be asked: How do sub-councils advance democracy and ensure service delivery to poor and working-class communities? In the view of the SACP, the current orientation of these sub-councils is far from these questions.”
The entire episode since the announcement by Dyantyi of his intention to change the mayoral system in the city of Cape Town had thrown up important questions about the functioning of the alliance and the content of democracy, the party said.
”As we have said before, the proposed change was announced in public without consultation, debate, dialogue and consensus in the ANC-SACP-Congress of South African Trade Unions [Cosatu] alliance in the metropolitan district and in the Western Cape province. The SACP reaffirms the need for a fully functional alliance and calls on all alliance partners to actively work towards this goal.
”Further, the SACP is extremely concerned that the entire episode has had the effect of sending confusing signals to our mass and activist base about the meaning of, and respect for democratic values, principles, processes and institutions.
”The revolutionary ANC-SACP-Cosatu alliance cannot afford to do this. We must be resolute, clear, firm and principled; the democracy, that poor and working people fought and died for, and won, is not for sale, particularly when elite class and narrow political interests seek to drive it.
”As we have said before, the Democratic Alliance [DA]-led multiparty government in the City of Cape Town must be challenged and defeated by united working-class action, uniting and bringing together coloured, African and white people into united action for people’s democracy and service delivery.
”Such action must expose the DA for the political, social and class force it is: a political party of the elite whose main goal is to govern and maintain Cape Town as an enclave for the rich. This political line is the only basis for democracy with a clear working-class imprint.” — I-Net Bridge