Rant+misrepresents+SACP,+Malesela+Maleka,+Business+Day

Business Day, Johannesburg, Letters, 04 May 2006
=Rant misrepresents SACP ideals=

Raymond Suttner’s letter, What is left (April 26), refers. It is at best ill-informed and at worst mischievous, if not devious. When the South African Communist Party (SACP) criticised the growth, employment and redistribution initiative and opposed privatisation we were patronisingly told by some in our movement (mainly former party members) that we are no longer the party of Moses Kotane, and castigated as “ultra-left”.

Strangely, Suttner, with the same self-righteousness, tells us essentially the same thing, mainly because we have refused to violate the sub judice rule on the Zuma rape trial.

Suttner asserts that “sub judice does not preclude commenting on the mode of defence conducted by Zuma”. Since when is mode of defence (whether we agree with it or not) not part of trial proceedings? Which rule of law is this?

Suttner’s response to our general secretary, Blade Nzimande, is also devious because he is simply telling some untruths about the SACP’s approach to the Zuma matter. Suttner conveniently ignores the statement issued by the party soon after Zuma was charged with rape. We urged everyone to respect both the rights of the accused and the complainant, and that due legal processes must be allowed to take their full course.

Suttner’s diatribe against the SACP is also confused, if not confusing. He is simultaneously accusing the SACP of “projection of Zuma as a left-wing alternative”, “singing of machine guns”, and says that “walking by his side SACP leaders helped inflame passions”, we are “a party descending into one without moral backbone”, etc.

It is not clear what Suttner’s gripe really is. His letter does not address the party’s approach to the entire Zuma matter and the abuse of comrade Zuma’s rights.

We also wish to state that the SACP is not some kind of commission for conciliation and mediation. We are a party of the working class, and shall remain vigilant against abuse of state organs.

We also hope that Suttner will desist from opportunistically appropriating feminist discourse to justify violation of the rule of law.

It is this that will undermine the capacity of the state organs to successfully prosecute those guilty of gender-based violence.

SACP spokesman
 * Malesela Maleka**


 * http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/opinion.aspx?ID=BD4A194585**

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