Cutting Blade puts alliance on the brink of 'disintegration' - SACP

The South African Communist Party (SACP) says the axing of Blade Nzimande as Minister of Higher Education and Training‚ is factional and places the tripartite alliance on the “brink of disintegration”.

Nzimande was the highest-ranking SACP official in President Jacob Zuma’s cabinet.

On Tuesday Zuma announced a cabinet reshuffle‚ removing only Nzimande‚ while switching around the portfolios of five others.

In a statement on Tuesday‚ the SACP said the reshuffle was a direct attack on the party.

Reports indicated the SACP learned of Nzimande’s axing on social media‚ while trade union Cosatu was telephoned three hours before the announcement.

“We emphatically reject these manoeuvres that place the Alliance on the brink of disintegration. Our view is that this is not a reshuffle but the targeted removal of Nzimande as a direct attack on the SACP‚” the SACP said in a statement.

“Ordinarily the aim of any cabinet reshuffle must be to strengthen the capacity of the state. But in this case that is not the intention‚ especially with the retention of so many deadwoods and compromised individuals in Cabinet.”

It further stated that the “continued authoritarianism by Zuma in disregarding alliance protocols and relations placed the alliance in unchartered waters”.

“In fact this action‚ more than anything else‚ also compromises and further tarnishes the image of the ANC itself‚” the SACP said‚ adding that Nzimande’s removal was a response to popular calls from the SACP and Cosatu for Zuma to resign.

“Our call for Zuma to step down is based on the many problems of corruption‚ governance decay and state capture under his watch. In addition‚ the removal of Dr Nzimande from the Cabinet is part of Zuma’s manoeuvres to secure successful election of his ordained successor at the forthcoming ANC December national conference‚” the statement concluded.

“If the President thinks that by removing Dr Nzimande from the Cabinet he will silence the SACP from the leading role it has played to expose and confront state capture‚ he is glaringly mistaken!”