SACP leaders say they would rather go than stay silent

28 August 2016 - 02:02 By OLEBOGENG MOLATLHWA
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Leaders of the SACP say they are ready to be removed from President Jacob Zuma's cabinet rather than remain silent about the scandals plaguing his government.

Speaking to the Sunday Times on the sidelines of the SACP's central executive committee meeting, which ends today in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, the party's first deputy general secretary, Jeremy Cronin, said it was a "positive mark" that SACP leaders were being mentioned as targets in Zuma's imminent cabinet reshuffle.

The SACP has also come out in defence of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, saying what is happening to him is "harassment".

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Cronin, who is also the deputy minister of public works, said SACP leaders would be failing as communists if they kept quiet while some in government were "looting the state".

"We would not be doing our jobs as honest and disciplined communists if we didn't step on the toes of some forces that are bent on looting the state and intent on covering their activities," said Cronin.

He said SACP leaders who are ministers, among them Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies, Agriculture Minister Senzeni Zokwana and Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi, were not surprised that they were being targeted in Zuma's planned cabinet reshuffle.

"I view this as a positive mark that some of our names appear [among those said to be facing removal from cabinet].

"So if there is unhappiness and there are calls that we should be removed, then so be it," said Cronin.

The SACP, which campaigned for Zuma's ascendancy during his rivalry with Thabo Mbeki, has since fallen out with him and the party has spoken out against the Nkandla scandal.

The communists have also publicly challenged Zuma to distance himself from the controversial Gupta family.

Cronin said the Hawks' summoning of Gordhan over his alleged involvement in the so-called rogue unit at the South African Revenue Service was nothing but a tactic to intimidate him into backing down on corruption.

 Sydney Seshibedi

"The Hawks' harassment is meant to eventually dismiss him or alternatively, to get him to back down on the strong stand that he has been taking in terms of corruption [and] in terms of addressing the very serious questions about governance in our state-owned enterprises and also the [South African Revenue Service] issues."

Cronin said the SACP would support an early ANC elective conference - but only if it was intended to return the party to its glory days and redeem its credibility.

"The communist party is not calling for the president of the ANC to be recalled. However, we do believe that there are presidential issues - throwaway statements about 'clever blacks' and so on - which have been unwise and constitute a liability for the ANC and the alliance in contesting elections," said Cronin.

"It's certainly time for the ANC officials and the national executive committee to think about the challenges they are facing and how to move forward because the ANC seems to be paralysed at a national leadership level."

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