The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Free State Province has raised a concern of how the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa has worsened the many deep-rooted structural and systemic crisis that reproduces high levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
The Party further decried how Covid-19 has also compounded the crisis of social reproduction and aggravated the grievous crisis of gender-based violence (GBV) in the communities, worsening the challenges faced mostly by women of the society.
In its statement on the decision of 11th Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) Plenary Session of the 7th Provincial Congress, the party said Covid-19 has overall exposed the general crisis associated with capitalism on all fronts.
The plenary session was held virtually on Sunday, 28 June 2020, the date on which the Party’s late General Secretary, Chris Hani was born 78 years ago. The PEC accordingly wished him a happy birthday posthumously.
“The PEC acknowledged that the outbreak and spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) is linked to the crisis of capitalism. Whilst human beings’ relationship with nature is ancient, this relationship has, overtime, led to growing ecological disturbances and the degradation of the environment.
“It is under the capitalist mode of production that this ecological and environmental degradation reached its zenith thus leading to more cyclical or flash disasters and/or pandemics,” said the party in a statement.
The Party ‘s Provincial Secretary, Bheke
Stofile said the provincial leadership affirmed the fact that “we cannot go
back to the crisis before the crisis”.
He said in the support of post Covid-19 recovery, the provincial leadership affirmed
the need for the revitalisation and reindustrialisation of various industrial
nodes in the province – which have become inactive – through resuscitating
traditional industries that were consistently the pillars of our provincial or
district economic activity.
“Such revitalisation, which must also integrate new industries, must be predicated on building local productive capacity and bias towards high employment absorption potential and space for cooperatives involvement. The PEC raised the reality that the strategic location of the Free State province remains heavily underutilised.
“The PEC feels this geographic advantage
needs to be harnessed through a focused infrastructure development programme
that at the same time addresses the skewed and disjointed historical spatial
development framework. The infrastructure development programme must seek to
address both intra-provincial and inter-provincial linkages that unlock further
upstream and downstream integrated economic activity,” said Stofile.
The party’s provincial leadership further condemned the escalating GBV and
agreed on a need for programmatic interventions that also target both the boy
and girl child.
“The crisis of social reproduction has prejudicially condemned women to such activities as maintaining hygiene and cleanliness in the home and workplace. However, with the associated economic opportunities presented by the need to maintain good hygiene and cleanliness in response to the spread of Covid-19, males, as well as companies owned by males, are suddenly specialists in hygiene, disinfection and cleaning activities – pushing women to the margins.
The PEC decided to take the lead in building a broad front, working with relevant stakeholders and the Alliance, to actively confront these prejudices,” said Stofile.
