Media statement Young Communist League of South Africa Gauteng Province 21st Plenary Session Statement
Monday, 11 October 2011, Johannesburg The Young Communist League of South Africa [Ufasimba] Gauteng Province met in a special PEC meeting, the 22nd Plenary Session of the 2nd Gauteng Congress Provincial Executive Committee. The purpose of the meeting was to consider the state of the organisation report for a three year review. As usual, the PEC reflected on the character of the political moment. *YCLSA continues to grow (Operation Khula)* The PEC confirmed that in the YCLSA the province of Gauteng has grown from the smallest by membership to the 3rd largest in the period since last provincial congress held in the 3rd quarter of2008. At least three of our districts in the province have grown by over 100%,one by 70% and another by 57.14%. This confirms the growing relevance of the YCLSA, its recognition and acceptance by young people. The PEC noted that without coupled with qualitative growth, quantitative growth of the organisation can pose challenges to the national democratic revolution and the struggle for socialism. While declaring to leave no stone unturned in ensuring organisational, ideological and political unity and cohesion in Marxist-Leninist theory and practice, and forging ahead with no compromises on revolutionary iron-fist discipline, the PEC resolved to intensify political education and ideological training. *Challenges facing basic education in Gauteng* The PEC noted the persisting challenges facing basic education in the province, and particularly in Soweto. We are deeply worried by the disruption of classes and the culture of learning and teaching. We acknowledge the processes set up by the Gauteng education department to resolve these challenges. We shall remain a reliable force and pledge to continue and strengthen participation in all relevant platforms and consultative forums put in place by the department. We are determined to ensure that problems facing basic education in the province are overcome. We welcome the South African Communist Party’s Red October Campaign 2011 which focuses on rural development, corruption and education in terms of which the Party in Gauteng will focus on Soweto. We shall mobilise all our structures, members and stakeholders, specifically in basic education, to make the Party’s Red October campaign a success. As a youth formation of the Party, we believe from the learners’ side that the Congress of South African Students needs to be engaged in this regard because it can play an important role under proper guidance. We shall do so. *Retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu* The PEC expressed extreme shock on the expressions made by retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We differ fundamentally with his idea, wrong to the extreme, that our present government is worse than apartheid. As young people we look up to learning from the elders like the retired Archbishop for accurate reflection on our history and material conditions. We have a strong view that this time, driven among others by the desire for partying, with friends, the retired Archbishop is not educating but de-educating us and worse, in a manner that can be fatally misleading As a matter of fact, by raising his views about our democratically elected government by the majority he is not arrested, tortured and banished as it would have been under apartheid. Significant numbers of our comrades, of whom have disappeared and are yet to be found because of apartheid brutality, left the country without visas and some even without passports, in pursuit of the national liberation struggle and socialism. The apartheid government made visas and passports applications for them an extreme danger. The sole truth: our present government is too far better to apartheid government to which it is also incomparable in all fairness. If the archbishop wants us to go back, we refuse to go back! We reiterate our support hat there is no one China too many but there is only one China and, that our country must not be used by professional politicians, no matter their other statuses, “spiritual leaders”, as a platform to destabilise other countries and international peace. Issued by YCLSA Gauteng Province For more information, please contact Alex Mashilo (Gauteng Provincial Secretary) Cell: 082 9200 308 -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
