Corruption+is+biggest+threat+says+SACP,+News24

News24, Johannesburg, 27/12/2006 16:31 - (SA)
=Corruption is 'biggest threat'=

Johannesburg - The biggest threat facing democracy in South Africa is corruption, the SA Communist Party said on Wednesday.

"Apart from HIV/Aids, joblessness and poverty, the single biggest threat facing our democracy is growing corruption in both the public and private sectors," said SACP president Blade Nzimande in the party's New Year message.

"This is a blight to all those honest and hardworking South African citizens whose name is brought into disrepute by the corrupt elements," he said.

Nzimande said a major challenge for 2007 would be to fight against "parasitic capitalism" where access to public office became a "stepping stone" to business ventures and government tenders.

"The SACP is extremely concerned about the increasing numbers of public representatives who are also involved in business... Let our people stand up and expose corruption and parasitic capitalism wherever these rear their ugly heads!"

While noting accomplishments made in 2006, Nzimande said a number of challenges lay ahead.

Small minority is benefiting
"A key challenge for 2007 is that of intensifying working class struggles to transform the current growth path, so that we do indeed make the second decade of our democracy a decade for the workers of the poor.

"The current growth path continues to benefit only a small minority whilst unemployment remains at more than 40%, with deepening poverty in society," he said.

Key national events will take place in formations within the Tripartite Alliance throughout 2007, dubbed the "Policy Year" by the SACP.

The ANC National Conference and National Policy Conference take place in 2007 as well as the SACP's 12th National Congress.

"We will also use this event as an important contribution towards the consolidation and deepening of a working class-led, and socialist-oriented national democratic revolution."

He expressed concern about "rampant consumerism" fostered in the retail sector with businesses "embarking on a frenzy of willy nilly' giving out credit cards and enticing unsuspecting consumers".

He strongly criticised the Reserve Bank for responding to this by increasing interest rates... "thus making the workers and the poor pay a heavy price, whilst the modern loan sharks continue to make even more money from the indebtedness of our people. This is practically turning the festive season into a season of 'credit infestors'," he said.

The SACP welcomed government's renewed determination to combat HIV/Aids and the marginal drop in road fatalities during the festive season.

"However the number of road fatalities in our country is still too high for us to celebrate this drop... we condemn the wasteful mega-transport project, Gautrain, which is hopelessly incapable of addressing the problems of public transport in our country. Instead this project will not only be a riders' toy for an elite few."

The SACP called on South Africans to join the party in their call for safe, affordable public transport for all.

"The SACP takes this opportunity to wish all South Africans a happy festive season and a happy 2007. We would especially wish the workers of our country a peaceful rest and a prosperous new year," Nzimande said.


 * From: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Politics/0,,2-7-12_2049046,00.html**

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