MESSAGE OF SUPPORT TO THE COSATU SUMMIT ON SWAZILAND

DATE: 20 MARCH 2010

Delivered by Raymond Makamu :Provincial Treasurer

LEADERSHIP OF COSATU LED BY CDE FIDEL

LEADERSHIP OF THE SACP LED BY CDE MAJUBA

LEADERSHIP OF THE ANC LED BY CDE NDINISA; AND

LEADERSHIP OF SANCO ALSO PRESENT TODAY

LEADERSHIP OF ALL OUR STRUCTURES AT NATIONAL LEVEL,

The South African National Civic Organisation in Mpumalanga greets you on the occasion of this long overdue summit. I am sure that the revolutionary people of Swaziland welcome this summit as a vindication of their freedom struggles with the Swazi absolute monarchy.

Chairperson, the provincial leadership of SANCO will raise the following issues which are important to our local politics as well as governance. We need to confront and deal with these issues so that we can be a serious force to advance the struggles of the Swaziland people. A free Swaziland will dearly need a stable and prosperous Mpumalanga Province of the Republic of South Africa.

The division that persists in the Mpumalanga African National Congress is becoming a virus that is plunging governance and the stability of politics into a crisis. The factional struggle for power is even undermining the democratically elected leadership in the province. We call upon the ANC to reign on ill discipline and bring normality in the province. As alliance partners, we cannot be seen assisting the downfall of the ANC nor political instability. As SANCO, COSATU and the SACP, we should at all times, fight for a united and strong ANC. The ANC is our face in government as well as the leader of our national programme, the National Democratic Revolution. Our myopic, egoistic and personal agendas should play second fiddle to the ANC agenda. I believe the Swaziland revolutionaries need a strong ANC. SANCO is committed to continue and play a positive role for a strong and stable ANC.

VIVA PUDEMO, the revolutionary movement of Swaziland VIVA!!!

SANCO has noted the recent spate of service delivery protests within our province. While some protests are genuine service delivery related, we are also convinced and concerned that the majority of these protests are as a result of power struggles within the movement. SANCO wants to raise its displeasure on both of these root causes.

Our people have been tolerating mediocre delivery of services for a long time. This has been due to either inefficient councils or lazy and inappropriate municipal workers. Our people require a better life as we promised them. As a movement, we need to ensure that we deploy appropriate councillors and properly qualified officials who can deliver services to our people. We plead with COSATU affiliates revolutionary members to turn service delivery for the better where ever they are in civil service. In some instances, non- delivery of services fly in the face of our own revolutionaries. Let us expose and remove lazy, inefficient and corrupt councillors and civil servants without any further delay.
Where there is jostling for power, we call upon the ANC to discipline its members in councils and its structures. While they struggle for power, our people are suffering and not receiving services. Also members in alliance partners should not fuel this power mongerism. We as alliance partners should expose those that undermine democratic principles and processes.

A free and democratic Swaziland will require a politically stable and prosperous Mpumalanga Province. Our support to Swaziland struggle should be informed by a strong, united alliance force with a common purpose. To see a democratic Swaziland, where the people enjoy universally agreed and cherished human rights.

Viva Mario Masuku, the President of PUDEMO Viva!!

The South African National Civic Organisation wishes COSATU and her allies to have a successful summit on the plight of the oppressed people of Swaziland. May freedom and democracy befall the people of Swaziland!

I thank you all.