STATEMENT ON THE OUTCOMES OF THE SPECIAL VIRTUAL NATIONAL COMMITTEE MEETING
YCLSA
YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE OF SOUTH AFRICA
STATEMENT ON THE OUTCOMES OF THE SPECIAL VIRTUAL NATIONAL COMMITTEE MEETING
The Young Communist League of South Africa [UFASIMBA] convened a special virtual National Committee meeting over the weekend to urgently discuss and analyse the current political developments globally and the domestic political situation, including the phased reopening of schools and higher learning institutions, youth empowerment and employment, and developments regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown.
As a youth movement for socialism, the Young Communist League of South Africa has a responsibility to constantly analyse the challenges facing young people and how to mitigate them. It is in this context that the meeting also reflected on a youth month programme for the organization and the impact of the current normal on young people.
The meeting received a detail presentation on the planned phased reopening of the Post-School Education and Training Institutions. The meeting welcomed the principle that the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology adopted regarding the phased reopening that in cases where a balance cannot be managed between saving the lives of students and saving the academic challenge, the lives of students will be prioritized than the academic calendar. This is consistent with our call for the safety of students to be prioritized beyond anything else.
South Africa’s biggest test with managing the Covid-19 pandemic is with reopening of the education sector. In almost every household in South Africa there is someone that participates in the education sector either as an educator, support stuff or learner. The total population involved in this sector is about 17 million people in South Africa. Therefore, if not managed carefully, it might spike a situation that our health system might not manage.
Based on the population demographics involved in the education sector and the obvious state of unreadiness in the basic education sector, the National Committee expressed concerns regarding the phased reopening of schools. Accurately, the observation is that the basic education sector did not fulfil the promise of readiness by the 1st of June 2020, especially in ensuring the safety of teachers and learners. Also, the Department of Basic Education has not reoriented the curriculum for the post lockdown situation.
Therefore, the National committee resolved that teachers and learners should stay home until the Department of Basic Education is ready to guarantee the safety of teachers, support stuff and learning, including the reorientation of the curriculum to adjust to the post lockdown reality. The National Committee further recommended that Grade 12 learners should be taken to camps in order to rescue their academic calendar, prioritizing their safety and that of educators.
As a youth movement for socialism, the National Committee adopted a nationwide response strategy to the Covid-19 reality under the theme: “Prioritizing physical distancing and social solidarity in confronting the Covid-19 pandemic”. The Young Communist League of South Africa will train Chris Hani youth brigades across the country to take the frontline position in assisting communities to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
On domestic and global political developments, the National Committee resolved on the following:
On youth employment
The National Committee has noted with disgust the arrogance of big business and the right-wing fraternity in terms of prioritizing profits over the lives of the South African population. Moreover, the unwarranted retrenchment in the mining sector and the jobs bloodbath in the hospitality sector is a direct provocation by big business. Certainly, as it is in any case where capitalism finds itself in crisis, retrenchments becomes the instrument to source supply production and create surplus labour as a reserve army in the labour market.
Based on the latter, the National Committee has therefore resolved to approach the Department of Employment and Labour for a gazette declaring and restricting business from enforcing the principle of last in first out, and moreover, to ensure that no jobs will be lost as a result of the nationwide lockdown.
Youth empowerment and the informal economy
National government has announced business relief grants for small businesses and 40% allocation for youth empowerment in relief packages. However, these grants and packages have not benefited small businesses, or even young people. The National Committee expressed the need to demand accountability and ensure that young people and small businesses benefit from these packages.
Equally, our concern is that the criteria for relief packages disadvantages some businesses in the informal sector.
Social relief grants
Following engagements since the Political Commission, the National Committee resolved to engage the Social Development. Our concern is that the criteria that the government adopted in dealing with the social relief grants is flawed. Moreover, the department has secured minimum progress in issuing the grants and has not asserted the necessary agency.
Concerning the nationwide lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic
During the announcement on the decision of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) to move to level three lockdown, the President alerted the nation on the lack of testing equipment. The National Committee has equally raised concerns in terms of the lack of testing equipment and that it might lead to the health system not being able to manage the pandemic. Therefore, there is a need to build local capacity in developing testing equipment and the National Committee resolved to engage the various government departments and institutions on this concern.
The National Committee commended the work of the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology in funding research on the use of indigenous herbs and traditional medicine to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, we are please to note that the Department has invited Madagascar to test their herb in South Africa for the purpose of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
Noting that the covid-19 reality has exposed the systematic inequalities in the South African political economy, the meeting resolved to call on the South African state to migrate the Parliamentary Channel from paid tv so that it is accessible to South Africans without having to pay for it. It is abnormal that the television channel of the only arm of the state that is directly elected by citizens is not openly accessible by every South African.
On political developments in USA
The National Committee condemned the police brutality in the United States of America and the continued government efforts to put the lives of ordinary working-class citizens in danger in the interests of profit. Undoubtedly, the Civil Rights Movement’s efforts to fight for social justice in the 1950s and the 1960s did not deal with the racial question in the United States. The US situation is a direct result of the capitalist system which in South Africa has equally fronted a racial character in generating class and gender inequalities. Both the character of the political and economic system in the United States have a racial character similar to the South African situation and it is equally the same system which has resulted in the illegal occupation of Palestine by the apartheid Zionist regime of Israel.
The Young Communist League of South Africa expresses its unwavering solidarity and support to the anti-racism protests in the United States.
On the World Health Organization
Universal Health Coverage relies on building capable health systems in nation states to mitigate the inequalities in the political and economic systems. Above this reality, the Young communist League of South Africa commends the work carried by the world Health Organization as led by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Indeed, no one was ready or prepared to deal with Covid-19 but the work done by WHO has been outstanding. The National Committee call on all peace-loving citizens to support the work of the World Health Organization and to condemn the posture of the US imperialism towards the leadership of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Issued by YCLSA
Tinyiko Ntini – National Secretary
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