Messages+of+support+for+SACP+GS+Blade+Nzimande




 * 1. SACP KZN Province- statement on the attacks against the SACP General Secretary**


 * 09 October 2006**

The South African Communist Party hereby expresses its full support for the General Secretary´s statements in both SADTU and COSATU congresses. It is disappointing that President of the ANC (the alliance leader) has elected to personalize policy criticism instead of providing leadership to the alliance after the withdrawal of charges against ANC Deputy President. This is not just a divisive behavior but a clear deflection of people´s attention from what needs to be done after the withdrawal of charges on the ANC deputy president.

Smuts Ngonyama´s failure to name SACP leaders who are not in support of SACP´s policy positions leaves much to be desired. The making of public statements whose sources are faceless is characteristic of a spineless liar. Members of the SACP are the custodians of the SACP constitution. Only members of the SACP can reprimand a member that has acted in a manner that contravenes the SACP constitution. The SACP General Secretary has and continues to behave in a manner that is in accord with the SACP constitution and its continued fight for the marginalized and exploited working class of this country. Under the leadership of Blade Nzimande South African communist Party has grown in leaps and bounds. Criticism on his leadership and insinuation that he will liquidate the SACP is inherently disgraceful and fueled by paranoia from our detractors. In the final analysis, the SACP in KZN remains committed to the consolidation and strengthening of the revolutionary tripartite alliance.

Contact Person: **Mr Themba Mthembu //Provincial Secretary// SACP KwaZulu Natal 083 303 6988**


 * 2. SACP Western Cape statement on the ANC President’s attack on the SACP General Secretary**


 * 10 October 2006**

The SACP in the Western Cape wish to express its disgust in the manner that the ANC President has chosen to personalize positions of the SACP by attacking the Party´s General Secretary.

The latest attempt by the ANC President to vilify and insult the integrity of Comrade Blade Nzimande is clearly designed to isolate the SACP General Secretary from the Party. Whilst we are disturbed by this development we are not completely surprised by this conduct of the leader in the Alliance because it is reminiscent of earlier blistering attacks particularly when the ANC cannot respond to the substance of SACP positions it reverts to labeling our leaders and the positions of the Party as ultra-left.

It is disingenuous to claim that the SACP General Secretary is responsible for divisions in the liberation movement. It is no secret that sharp ideological differences have emerged largely because of what the SACP defines as the 1996 class project. The current attack on the Comrade Blade Nzimande shows the features of the 1996 class project that the SACP is talking about.

Instead of rubbishing the SACP General Secretary, leadership is required from the ANC President to deal with the many problems in our country and the ANC with particular reference to land for the landless, affordable transport for the poor, the credit bureaux, hunger, unemployment and poverty.

As the SACP in the Western Cape we stand by the positions articulated by our General Secretary with particular reference to the call for the ANC to provide leadership and commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS, eradication of poverty, ending unemployment and to challenge the capitalist accumulation path that is being pursued.

Contact: //SACP Provincial Secretary// Western Cape Province Cell: 083 721 0221**
 * Khaya Magaxa


 * 3. SACP Mpumalanga Statement on the personal attacks on the SACP General Secretary**
 * 10 October 2006**

The personal attack to the General Secretary of the SACP by the President of the ANC in the recent NEC (ANC) is unfortunate; it smacks of intolerance and might lead to unnecessary tensions in the alliance. These attacks are not new if we are to follow the trends across the world where Communists have fought to achieve freedom side by side with the liberation movement and upon attainment of freedom, factions in the liberation movement turn against communists.

Of even more serious concern to us as the SACP in Mpumalanga is that our memories are still fresh about the cowardly assasination of our General Secretary, the late Cde Cde Thembisile "Chris" Hani in 1993.

This happened after a sustained smear campaign against Cde Chris Hani and Winnie Mandela. The General Secretary of the SACP, Cde Blade Nzimande, articulates communist party positions, taken in constitutional structures of the organization. He therefore articulates our positions and represents the interest of the working class and the poor unapologetically. We believe that a "festival of ideas" (quote) Cde Joel Netshitendze should be allowed and alliance partners engage each other on issues without labels and personal attacks.

We expected that the President would engage the newly released party discussion document, deal with issues there, without reducing himself to personal attacks of individuals.

What the General Secretary of the Party said, in both SADTU and COSATU Congresses is nothing new; it is what is contained in SACP policy documents and what was repeatedly articulated over years in different platforms.

The President of the ANC must lead the alliance, the society and the country, any leader worth to be called leader should strive to unite rather than being divisive.

As the SACP in Mpumalanga, we stand firmly behind our General Secretary Cde Blade Nzimande and fully support him when he articulates the SACP Positions.

Issued by SACP Mpumalanga

For information Contact: //SACP Mpumalanga// Provincial Secretary 082 885 5940**
 * Bonakele Majuba


 * 4. SACP Eastern Cape provincial statement on the personal attacks on the SACP General Secretary, Cde Blade Nzimande, 10 October 2006**

As the SACP, we have noted with deep concern the attacks against the SACP positions and our General Secretary, Blade Nzimande by the President of the ANC during the last NEC meeting. The attacks from the political overview of President Thabo Mbeki were a response to the addresses by our General Secretary in the SADTU and COSATU congresses respectively. We think that the attacks are unfortunate and do nothing in building the unity of the ANC and the alliance under these challenging times facing our movement.

With respect to the form that this offensive took, that of citing the SACP General Secretary as “extra ordinary arrogant’, the Party in the Eastern Cape Province notes with dismay the continuing trend to personalize political issues. This unprecedented tendency, smack of neo-liberal depoliticisation of contextual political issues. We condemned this tendency with the utter disgust it deserves. Indeed the attacks have come not as a surprise as they are continuation of what we saw in the notorious 2002 ANC Briefing Notes, the venomous attacks against our Deputy General Secretary, Jeremy Cronin as “white Messiah’ and the response to failed to attend to challenges raised by the CC discussion document.

Of more serious concern to us as the SACP in the Eastern Cape is that these attacks come immediately after Mathatha Tsedu´s article in the city press, which was trying to question the credibility of our General Secretary. Again these attacks happens shortly after the former first vice president of COSATU Mr. Joe Nkosi attempted to spy on our General Secretary

These ongoing attacks against our General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary are design to destruct us away from dealing with the key strategic issues facing our country. As we said before, our battle cry is that the SACP and the working class should always keep the eye on the ball and not blink for a moment.

As a logical conclusion we view the attacks as a desperate attempt to defend the current accumulation regime, which itself is desperate and deep in crisis. This crisis is deepened by the fact that the current growth path benefits the few whilst the majority is facing grinding poverty and unemployment. It is in this context that we support our GS when he calls for the implementation all the clauses of the Freedom Charter as the charter advocates for the economic emancipation of our people “as whole’ as opposed to the current narrow BEE. Regrettable, the attacks by President Mbeki against our GS throw out of the window any possibility or opportunity of a unified alliance under his leadership. However, as the SACP it is in the interest of the class we represent that the unity of the ANC and the alliance is safeguarded and for that reason we call for the convening of an alliance platform to discuss the issues raised in our discussion document as agreed in our last ANC –SACP bilateral.

It is in the spirit of the above the SACP throughout the last 12 years has been calling for frank and vibrant engagement in various forms including the bilateral meetings to settle matters of this nature. Forward to the implementation of the Freedom Charter: Yes the Charter is not a socialist document but equally the charter is anti capitalist as calls for the sharing of the wealth.

(**Mandla Makhuphula, //Eastern Cape Provincial Secretary//, 082 419 3336)**


 * 5. SACP Northern Cape Province press statement on the attack on the Persona of the General Secretary of the South African Communist Party**

The South African Communist Party in the Northern Cape has noted the disdainful and isolationist attack on the persona of Cde Blade Nzimande the General Secretary of the South African Communist Party. We take this development as a direct attack on the SACP by those forces in the alliance who want to provoke a walkout from the latter so that they may hijack a movement that communists amongst others sacrificed to build over many decades.

The personalized attack by the President of the ANC Cde Thabo Mbeki has finally unmasked those calling for unity whilst working for division. The President of the ANC, which is the leader of the alliance, has once more squandered a begging opportunity to work for unity within the ANC and with the Alliance, thereby forcing ordinary members of our movement to regrettably take sides with individuals. This highly publicized address even prior to the ANC NEC meeting could have been used to great effect to uniting the movement. We call on all those who cherish the authentic traditions of our movement to engage in a sincere and open debate about the kind of leadership required and the real challenges facing South Africa and the alliance today. We believe that the thrust of this would be correctly located as per the views of the SACP as expressed by the General Secretary and shared by many members of our broad movement and society. At these trying times there must be commitment to our convictions!

Rather than make any contrary point this attack confirms the assertions of the SACP made by the General Secretary on its behalf. Furthermore it maintains a trend where there has been attempts to place a lid on perspectives critical of certain trends and tendencies within the ANC. This is also evident in society; it is a worrying trend that cannot go unchallenged. An example of this is the recent banning of certain critical journalists from the public broadcaster, with public pressure resulting in a spectacular u – turn and a suspect process of dealing with the issue.

For Further details Contact: //Northern Cape// //SACP Provincial Secretary// 082376811 9 October 2006**
 * Cde Norman Shushu

=6. STATEMENT ON THE ATTACK OF THE SACP GENERAL SECRETARY=

As the South African Communist Party (SACP) Free State province we have noted with serious concern the disturbing acrimony that prevails as a result of the statement made by the General Secretary of our Party at the recent COSATU 9th congress. It is our view that all Alliance components have equal rights to articulate their positions informed by the policies and perspectives collectively adopted by by the organization.

In this context it is therefore correct for the SACP as the only political motor mouth of the working class and the poor to propagate and articulate its positions through its General Secretary Cde Blade Nzimande, and the positions that he presents in the public are not of his own, but those of the organisation the SACP. It cannot be politically correct to relegate any input made by one of the Alliance leaders to be an individual views. It is therefore our view that at no point an organization can be separated from its political head who is the custodian of its perspective and policies.

As the SACP in this province, we therefore call on our leadership to consider calling an urgent Alliance ten-a-side meeting as the only correct platform to politically engage with each other for the benefit of the entire society that we have an obligation to provide leadership to. Secondly, it is important to refer to all agreements reached by this Alliance on its workings like the out comes of the Ekurhuleni Declaration 1 and 2. We call for the implementation of the resolutions taken in both Alliance summits. The respect of the Alliance equals the implementation of the program that is been adopted by all components.

CONTACT:


 * Phel Parkies**
 * Provincial Secretary**
 * SACP Free State Province**
 * Cell: 082 576 6331**

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