Durban - The alliance partners in KwaZulu-Natal – the ANC, SACP, Sanco and Cosatu – concluded their summit yesterday with a declaration that they would work together to ensure services were delivered in the province.
SACP provincial secretary Themba Mthembu, reading out the declaration after the three-day summit, said they had agreed that alliance partners must be part of the ongoing assessment of the performance of the government to make sure that it was providing services.
“We recognise the important role of the alliance partners towards the attainment of the following outcomes: adequate access to water, electricity and other basic services; decent houses for all and welfare for the vulnerable.”
Mthembu said all leaders deployed by the ANC to various structures within the state must bear the responsibility to ensure the ANC-led government delivered, adding that the onus lay in the hands of the alliance partners more than it did with the opposition.
“Delegates to the summit resolved to ensure that deployees in various spheres of government play an oversight role to prevent state entities from collapsing.” Mthembu said there must be a clear programme of action to ensure ordinary members of society were cushioned against the economic crisis.
“The alliance summit overwhelmingly agreed that there are serious challenges in the running of eThekwini Municipality. Such challenges pertaining to political and administrative leadership tend to seriously compromise service delivery. The summit resolved that the alliance must prioritise meeting Cogta (Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs), the premier and the president to address this serious state of affairs in eThekwini Municipality.”
Mthembu said load shedding had crippled the economy, destroyed livelihoods and reversed socio-economic gains.
“Delegates resolved on the hosting of an alliance energy summit to develop a coherent energy strategy that will ensure energy security and eradicate energy poverty. We noted the reports of corruption associated with supply chain and procurement sections issuing fraudulent tenders and contracts to unskilled and undeserving entrepreneurs. As delegates, we affirm the decision of the summit to collectively fight corruption, both in the public sector and the private sector.”
KZN Cosatu chairperson Phumlani Duma said they appreciated the frankness of the engagements that had taken place over the weekend.
“We are calling on our government to respond to the needs of the workers, in particular because workers are part of the economic strategy of this country. These include the undermining of issues like collective agreements … if they continue with things like this they create angry workers.
“Workers have families and those families are the ones voting for the ANC-led government.”
ANC provincial chairperson Siboniso Duma said the alliance had to collectively address challenges.
“We have a responsibility to fight for social justice, to eliminate inequalities, to advance economic development and to support and advance the cause of national liberation.
“The economy for long has been on a slow growth path and we have implemented contracted fiscal consolidation which has suppressed government expenditure and its ability to stimulate growth in the economy. The ANC must confront all these challenges if we want to win the 2024 elections decisively.”
Duma said the only way to address voter abstention was to address the deep divisions in the organisation.
“Ultimately factionalism and internal strife as well as service delivery and economic growth, including failure to meaningfully transform the economy … are the main causes for the masses of people to abstain from voting.”