The party believes the West is trying to undermine Africa with its refusal to recognise the Covid Organics treatment.
The SACP in Mpumalanga says they are concerned that officials are refusing to recognise the Madagascan herbal remedy that was launched by President Andry Rajoelina on 21 April 2020.
Called ‘Covid-Organics’, Rajoelina said the herb is able to treat the Corona Virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said they must first test the herb through proper clinical processes to determine its efficacy and short and long-term safety.
The SACP said the “outright rejection” of the herb by the world is not taking anyone anywhere.
The party said “instead of co-operating with the Madagascan scientists” to test the efficacy of the herbal medicine they are busy “perpetuating colonial stereotypes”, the West and Europeans are superior and have the monopoly of wisdom, “to keep other nations perpetually dependent on them, while they continue to maximise profit and keep other nations as mere consumers”.
“We further think that WHO should defend the intellectual property and patent rights of African scientists and particularly the Madagascan scientists who discovered or invented the vaccine in the same way it would have if the scientists were from Western and European countries,” the Mpumalanga SACP said in a statement released after their virtual PEC meeting held on Sunday 17 May 2020.
Rejects DA call for reopening
The SACP said the call by those who wanted the economy to reopen was “opportunistic” and made by “bourgeoisie political parties”.
The DA has been calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to lift the lockdown, saying it was unconstitutional and was costing more lives than the virus itself. They are taking the government to court.
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The party’s demands for reopening are made to “maximise profits”.
“These demands by the bourgeoisie political parties expose the capitalist economic system as inhuman and barbaric because they don’t care about the lives of our people, particularly the working class and the poor,” said the SACP.
Welcomes Cuba doctors
The party has thanked the “selflessness and continued internationalist medical solidarity”.
13 of the doctors were this week deployed to Mpumalanga’s three districts to help in the fight against the global pandemic.
“We call on the provincial government to enhance the capacity of the hospitals in the province, particularly in the so-called epicentres of the Covid-19 in the province, such as Nkomazi and Pixley Ka Isaka Seme to ensure that they are capable of handling the challenge posed by the disease.
“The SACP also notes that other ailments seem to have taken a backseat since the outbreak of Covid-19, we thus call on government to ensure that this pattern doesn’t continue and that those who have other ailments continue to receive health care,” it said.
(edited by ZK)
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