2005-11-17,+Joint+SACP-COSATU+statement+on+Gauteng+violence

= Joint SACP-COSATU Statement, Gauteng Province =

Against Violence and Destruction of Public Property in Gauteng Province!

On the 9th of November the cabinet of our country issued a statement condemning the violence that erupted in the Khutsong community. This was followed by a statement by the President of the country in his weekly online newsletter in which he unequivocally condemned criminal violence, in particular the violence that erupted in Khutsong two weeks ago and the burning of train coaches in Gauteng.

As the South African Communist Party and COSATU in Gauteng province we stand fully behind the cabinet of our country and the President in condemning these acts of public violence. As the events unfolded we consistently denounced the violence and distanced ourselves from it. Both, the SACP and COSATU have struggled together with other liberation forces to ensure that we have a peaceful and vibrant democracy in which the voices of the workers, the excluded and the marginalised can be heard and taken seriously.

With regard to the Khutsong township and the wider Merafong community we believe it is important that we re-iterate our support for the community’s demand to remain in Gauteng province. We also believe that it is important both for the country and the government to acknowledge the peace that has prevailed in Khutsong township for the past week and a half. Also to acknowledge that the community had a peaceful march to its local police station on Friday at which it handed over a memorandum containing, besides its demand to stay in Gauteng, an apology for the violence that occurred two weeks ago.

As the SACP and COSATU in Gauteng province, we believe that it is important for the country and government to recognise the apology made by the Khutsong community to all of us for the violence that occurred. This is despite the fact that the violence was perpetrated by a few individuals. In this regard we believe the community has been brave enough to acknowledge its mistake. At the same time, we believe this public apology by the Khutsong community has never been done before by others from Bredel to township communities in the Free State province in which we have witnessed destruction and violence.

Both as the SACP and COSATU in Gauteng province we believe it is important for both the South African public and the government to accept this genuine apology from the community and also to recognise its commitment to continue peacefully promoting its cause through a legal march on Friday through the streets of Johannesburg and through providing face-to-face submissions to the relevant portfolio committees from the Gauteng and North West legislatures.

As a country we have been generous enough to forgive the generals and politicians that brutalised our communities during the dark days of apartheid rule. We have also forgiven the multinational corporations that profited from apartheid. And we have forgiven the World Bank and International Monetary Fund for providing development finance for the apartheid regime. In short, let us not hide behind the violence so that we ignore the genuine aspiration of both the Khutsong and wider Merafong community to stay in Gauteng province.

Similarly, while the burning of train coaches in Gauteng is unacceptable in a democracy we believe we cannot ignore the underlying issues that triggered this incident. We put on public record the following:

(1) to our knowledge the trains we have servicing working class and poor communities in this province were put into service over 50 years ago;

(2) the control infrastructure that manages the train system is also as old;

(3) the coaches and control system for trains in this province is seriously run down and in dire need of massive public investment;

(4) the commercial imperatives of the public corporations involved are profit driven as opposed to providing a genuine public good that can meet the needs of our citizens for safe, cheap and efficient transport;

Hence we are calling on the Gauteng government to establish a commission of enquiry into the burning of train coaches in Gauteng. This commission should also have a mandate to assess the state of rail transport in the province and to make recommendations for overhauling the entire system.

While as a democratic country we do not condone public violence there is still a responsibility for a democratically elected government to investigate and address the real reasons that led its people to such extreme acts. This is the lesson the French government has learned. It is not only utilising the police to bring calm and peace but is also addressing the underlying causes.

For Further Information Contact:

Vishwas Satgar Gauteng Secretary South African Communist Party 082 775 3420

Siphiwe Mgcina Gauteng Secretary Congress of South African Trade Unions 082 465 8336