Boos for ANC‚ cheers for Pravin at SACP rally

22 April 2017 - 19:02 By Naledi Sikhakhane And Taschica Pillay
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South African Communist Party supporters cheered former Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan at a mini rally in Durban on Saturday.
South African Communist Party supporters cheered former Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan at a mini rally in Durban on Saturday.
Image: Naledi Sikhakhane

South African Communist Party supporters cheered former Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and booed Mxolisi Kaunda of the ANC’s provincial executive committee at a mini rally in Durban on Saturday.

About 500 SACP supporters‚ dressed in red T-shirts‚ gathered at Curries Fountain stadium in Durban to celebrate the life‚ times and legacy of the former leader of the South African Communist Party‚ Chris Hani.

SACP provincial chair‚ James Nxumalo‚ called on the crowd to behave‚ saying:“We are different and distinguished as the Communist Party. This is in memory of Chris Hani so the way we act should reflect such. Iron discipline should distinguish the SACP from others.”

Isaac Luthuli of the Young Communist League said: “There is no radical transformation‚ there is only radical looting. Leaders steal for their families and friends. Because of the way things have been happening the YCL doesn't see the need for the president anymore.”

  • The opposition 'will not set the agenda' of the ANC‚ says KZN leaderLeader of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal‚ Sihle Zikalala‚ is adamant that no member of the party will vote for President Jacob Zuma's removal. 

Following the booing of Kaunda‚ Gordhan took to the podium to cheers from the crowd‚ when he said everyone still needed to develop their iron discipline.

“The communist party has a long tradition of organising our people at a door to door‚ factory to factory level. Lets go back to our people at a door to door level and explain to them what is state capture‚ what is corruption‚ how does tenderising take place and how do we build a better democracy and what do we actually mean by radical economic transformation which changes the lives of all 55- million people in South Africa and not just a small group‚” said Gordhan.

Kaunda later addressed the media‚ saying the main focus of everyone there was to commemorate the life of one of the giants.

“We don’t need to take any detour. Our main focus is radical socio-economic transformation which we are already engaging in because our enemy is the white monopoly capital. We are disappointed about the posture that some of the leaders of the alliance are taking. Whenever they occupy the podium they say Zuma must go. To us they turn themselves to become the mouthpiece of the opposition and those who are carrying the heavy agenda on the regime change of our country. If there are differences those differences must be brought within our structures. You want a united alliance‚” said Kaunda.

  • Zuma gets a boost on his Zululand home turfPresident Jacob Zuma received a massive ego boost when an ANC branch in northern KwaZulu-Natal pledged its undying support for him as leader of the party and of the country. 

South African Communist Party general-secretary Blade Nzimande called for the Guptas’ citizenship to be revoked.

“We never struggled so that they can take this beautiful country of ours and hand it over to an immigrant Indian family‚ the Guptas family. We must stand up and fight against this because our country is being sold. We are calling for the revoking of citizenship to the Guptas. The Gupta family play a toxic role in our country‚ a very toxic role with some of our own comrades.

“Our revolution is in danger. The danger which it is facing is an investment strike by monopoly capital. As well as the billions of rands that Pravin was trying to stop that are illicitly leaving this country. Our other danger is the weakening of our movement because of factionalism. It is because of some of these things that the SACP just like Cosatu has reached a very difficult decision that the president must step down as part of finding a solution to these problems. It is not a nice thing but we think it is necessary to say it‚” said Nzimande.

He also said the SACP wants a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate state capture.

  • Fact that Malikane accompanying Gigaba on US roadshow a concern‚ says DAThe fact that Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba has allowed Professor Chris Malikane to accompany him on his US investor roadshow raises serious questions‚ not only about his judgement but also about whether he can be trusted to act in the best interests of South Africa‚ the Democratic Alliance says. 

“When we raised this people asked why are we attacking the Guptas and not monopoly capital. Transforming the banks is not for families‚ it’s for the workers and the poor of this country to be able to benefit. Monopoly capital is our strategic enemy. But how do you fight monopoly capital when your state-owned companies are down because they have been looted left right and centre. We don’t want both monopoly capital. We don’t want looting. We don’t want the Gupta family. They are not our answer to monopoly capital‚” said Nzimande.

- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE

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