YCL+National+Committee+Lekgotla,+24-26+January+2008


 * YCL Media Release, 27 January 2008**

=YCL National Committee Lekgotla, 24-26 January 2008=

The Young Communist League held its National Committee Lekgotla attended by a total of 102 delegates from 44 District Secretaries, 36 Provincial representatives and the 24 National Committee members from all over the country. This Lekgotla took place within the context of a successful ANC 52nd National Conference and its 96th Anniversary (with its attendant January Statement). In that regard, the Lekgotla discussed and resolved as follows:


 * On the utterances by Judge Dikgang Moseneke**

The YCL noted the comments made by Judge Dikgang Moseneke during his 60th birthday celebrations as it relates to the 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress [ANC] outcomes. As the YCL we find the insinuations or pronouncements made by Moseneke and others as part of the onslaught by self-imposed intellectuals to undermine the intelligence of delegates to this conference and the resolutions thereof. In that regard, we call for Moseneke to recues himself from the Constitutional Court when it hears the Jacob Zuma matter.


 * Incorporation of the Scorpions into the South African Police Services [SAPS]**

We are concerned as the YCL on the continued bashing of the ANC Conference resolution as it relate to the incorporation of the Scorpions within the ambit of the SAPS. This is a clear attack by those who are using the Scorpions in the guise of fighting corruption to settle narrow and factional political battles both within the ANC and the State. We further want to indicate that the disbandment of the DSO into the SAPS does not translate to an end in the struggle of fighting corruption wherever it manifest itself, whether within leading figures in the movement and the state. As the YCL we reaffirm our full support of the decision to incorporate the DSO within the ambit of the SAPS. The YCL urges the state institutions to fast-track this decision which is consistent with resolution taken at the Polokwane Conference by the delegates.

We welcome the actions already started by the National Prosecutions Authority Acting Director, Mokotedi Mphshe, to prepare the DSO to move towards the SAPS. We are of the view that the DSO needs to remain accountable for some of the actions, and that their continued stay in the NPA led them to conclude that they are a law unto themselves.

In this regard, we wish to affirm our commitment to the continued fight against corruption and the need to strengthen institutions of the state to deal with this cancer. We believe that wherever the DSO is located it should continue its fight against crime and corruption.


 * We call for immediate change in the leadership of the Security Cluster**

We are extremely worried that the security cluster of our country, which is responsible for the criminal justice system, Intelligence, Safety and Security and Defense is in a state of crises. In the last 18 months, we have witnessed the suspension of Director of National Prosecutions (Vusi Pikoli), the dismissal of Billy Masetlha and the stepping aside of Jackie Selebi. Over and above this, sections of the security cluster have been marred by scandals of abuse of state institutions to deal with certain individuals. We cannot let this crises go on unattended.

We mainly attribute this to a weakness in leadership by the Ministers of these departments and uncertainty at the level of the bureaucracy, which further strengthen our belief that there is a crisis.

In this regard, we call on the President to completely restructure the security cluster Ministries and put in place new Ministers.


 * On Transformation of the Justice System and the killing of the Swaartruggens 5**

The YCLSA calls for total transformation of the justice system. The fact that the majority of the magistrates, prosecutors, judges and lawyers remain white is a cause for concern to us. In the case of the killing of the Swaartregguns 5 (Johan Nel), for instance, the prosecutors is white, the magistrate is white, the accused is white, his lawyer is white and the victims are black. This situation cannot continue unattended.

We are very worried by the continuing racial killing of black people, especially farm workers, and the leniency applied by the justice system on these matters. Black people are killed because they are confused with dogs, baboons or are just thrown into lion dens by white people and some of these go unpunished of given minimum sentences. We call for the establishment of a specialized court that will deal specifically with the issue of racism, and deliver harsh sentences against racist murderers.

We condemn the opportunistic nature of AfriForum in trying to downplay the racist nature of the killing of the Swaartruggens 5, and will engage with the Human Rights Commission on the submission of AfriForum.


 * On the escalating food prices**

We have noted the escalating food prices in our country over the past few years. This escalation of food prices should be located and understood within the context of the neo – liberal agenda that is being pursued by our nascent democratic government. We also view this high escalation of food prices as an onslaught by the capitalist – market against the working class and the poor given the high cost of standard of living and huge unemployment amongst the large sections of our communities more especially in working class and poor areas.

As part of our effort of dealing with this crisis of the comodification of basic food, we will be working closely with FAWU and other civil society formations. The purpose of this collaboration will be to build a popular front amongst our poor people to build sustainable livelihoods. We believe that measures should be taken to regulate the prices of basic foodstuffs. We welcome resolutions taken at the last ANC Conference to curb this ongoing crisis.

We will also be engaging with the Competition Commission to ensure that bread companies which continue with price fixing are dealt with accordingly. The fact that bread production is monopolized under only four companies makes it easier for these companies to collude in fixing these prices.


 * On Eskom and load shedding**

We note the recent crisis of power cuts or load shedding throughout the country. As the YCL we will be embarking on a campaign to alert our people on the need to save consumption of electricity. However it should be noted that this recent crisis of power cuts is a reflection of lack of leadership, foresight and commitment to inappropriate macro-economic strategy. As the YCLSA, we will be seized with the campaign to ensure that South Africans save energy, the environment and look into alternative measurers of using energy.


 * On the Right to Learn Campaign**

The YCLSA will be asking for an urgent meeting with the Ministry of Education to deal specifically with the academic exclusion of learners who failed their Matric in 2007. We are aware that some of the provincial departments are excluding learners from completing their Matric, and are left to the mercy of expensive and unaffordable private institutions.


 * Issued by the National Lekgotla of the National Committee of the YCL**
 * For more information contact: Castro Ngobese**

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