Core economic activities were, among other things, the building of houses, creation of job opportunities and improvement of the quality of education, as well as the provision of clean water, sanitation and electricity to everyone in South Africa.

The people have now waited for more than a decade, and are still waiting appreciatively for the government to deliver on such promises.

But instead they are baptized in shallow lies.

ANC authorities have become masters of corrupt activities and meaninglessly committed to the creation of illusion of incapacity to solve the so-simple-to-control housing backlog and easy-to-deliver sanitation and clean water.

On the job front, ANC-led government has failed dismally and only succeeded in fostering conditions for retrenchment.

Prior to the Polokwane Conference, Luthuli House was divided over the issue of the sustainability of the GEAR policy and its privatization mandate.

This was a clear indication of culture of contradictions and divisions within the ANC. The reason is not far from the mere lies (empty promises) paddled to feed the poor people.

Effectively, those in government stood by the GEAR policy largely because if affords them luxury and corrupt access to government funds, whereas outside government workers and poor constituency members who are confronted by the reality of catastrophic poverty wanted total change.

How does the ANC balance the notion of keeping the majority poor whilst enriching the few with its policies?

What is the ANC going to pro?mise us in 2009?

To make statements of recognition of the past imbalances while not taking vigorous action toward the apparent need for redress is immaterial.

Today we are faced with intolerance, discrimination, racism, xenophobia, crime and violence because of the unavoidable and discernable contradictions in our economy. Evidently, a businessman and white family that had benefited in the past by exploiting cheap black labour is enjoying protection from government, and they now create a ‘revised corporate exploitative gimmick’ of stripping off the poor workers their right to work, right to feed their families, right to dignity.

Privatising resources in the context of South Africa (majority are poor black people and rich minority white people) is equal to stating that “your votes are good for nothing”. To privatise means to conceal or to give privilege to some.

Privatization in South Africa can be defined as a logical enrichment and improvement of the rich white minority while creating conditions to keep the poor black majority suffering.

Be that as it may, why is the ANC-led government afraid of providing an Unemployment Allowance of R500 (umbambasiso) to serve as something to hold on to whilst devising means to survive for the millions of poor people?

Everyone should remember that African men and women lost cattle, land and lives to the uninvited white settlers.

The ever-hungrier, insatiable and uselessly ambitious settlers did not only take away the land of Africans but enslaved them.

So, Africans used every resource they had at their disposal to fight for their rights and economy.

Both their financial and human resources (capital) are depleted thanks to colonization. Africans never gave up on the principle of defending their land and common heritage. They struggled until the ultimate attainment of freedom.

Today, they carry the brunt of poverty, unemployment and di?sease. Can we expect the people, who experienced centuries of struggle, poverty and taxation, who face casualisation, retrenchment, suffering centuries of access to food function properly? We are lucky in South Africa because we have shown the world the principle of living and dying for something can help you achieve in life. Africans have not given up!

Their determination can be seen in the fact that, they smile and laugh in their pain. They treat an enemy as a friend. But what price should they pay in order for their dreams and aspirations to recognized?

For instance, women resort to prostitution (both formal and informal) and men to crime as a logical way of providing food to your family. These degenerated activities have risen above morality of the poor African people, since they have potential to save lives. Risking death, imprisonment, abuse, rape, STDs and HIV/Aids is what many poor women live with every day as prostitutes.

Getting insulted and living with disgrace of inability to exercise your right as a man of caring for your children is what some African men are good at pirating. The image of prostituting black poor women, of an adult poor black criminal and of young poor and sick child have ravaged South Africa. Our country has the capacity to say ‘no’ to that. However, the ANC-led government does not see value in the urgency of the matter.

More than 8 million freedom fighters of the PAC, AZAPO, ANCA and other political organizations are currently unemployed. Authorities (freedom fighters in government) seem to think little about their former comrades – members of Azanian People Liberation Army (APLA), Mkhonto weSizwe (MK) and other selfless combatants who find themselves thrown into the abyss of sheer poverty and hopelessness.

Due to their sacrifice, it would be logical to provide those who are unemployed with food parcels, medical aid, bursaries, houses, skills, jobs, and other social benefits.

The billions of rands paid to the IMF and World Bank for apartheid debt can go a long way in helping South African freedom fighters. R53 billion is enough to bring back the bones of freedom fighters in exile.

Paying apartheid debt appears to be a betrayal of poor South Africans or perhaps high honour to the apartheid architects for their most barbaric programme towards the impoverished Africans. Fruits of freedom cannot be enjoyed by Africans who fought for many decades.

Instead, many Africans die bitter in their hearts and without the dignity of realizing the dream of educating your children – the dream of better life for all.

Workers have been exploited to this end and they did not receive reparations.

Wealthy institutions of the world that never suffered much for supporting apartheid are reaping the rewards. Is that not a betrayal? More interestingly, is the fact that the bones of many black South Africans who fled South Africa between 1960 and 1990 have not been returned by president Thabo Mbeki’s administration.

John Nyathi Phokela died in Zimbabwe and others whose names have not been disclosed are implanted of foreign soil. There are many freedom fighters who are still locked up in jail after 14 years of freedom.

How then does this make the ANC relevant to the people it purports to be representing if it does not show willingness to care? Should the people be bound to support an organization that ignores them? Would they be dishonouring freedom if they seek alternatives?

When a particular liberation organization (e.g. ANC) comes into power and fails to act accordingly on the aspirations of its people, you ask yourself: what is the value and meaning of commitment to the struggle?

The PAC has consistently called for the return of the bones of freedom fighters that fell in a good cause of liberation. As Africans, we believe in the power of their spirit since their supernatural being can help lead our country into total liberation.

Our parliamentarians and political leaders should be urged to come to their senses to realize that freedom is owed to the comrades who died during the struggle. They cannot be put into oblivion.

In addition, our government has done little to approach the families of those heroes and heroines who died in exile, in the struggle, for the possibility of joining venture or opening liberation trust funds to so spearhead the process of bringing our people to be buried with dignity back home.

The PAC respects the history of this country, especially the fact that Africans chose to go into exile to find means of liberating this country. It respects the fight against dehumanization, degradation and perpetual oppression. It supports the building of struggle monuments, changing apartheid streets, airports, universities, government buildings and towns. It demands from the ANC government to build democracy that recognizes the sacrifice and commitment of PAC freedom fighters.

The work of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe and others must be remembered and honoured.

NYAMEKO SINANDILE

PAC Member