The SA Communist Party (SACP) says it is flabbergasted by what it calls an attempt by the African National Congress to ”assassinate the character” of its deputy general secretary, Jeremy Cronin.
In a statement on Tuesday, the SACP said the ANC’s head of presidency, Smuts Ngonyama, had ”misused the platform of yesterday’s official press conference of the national executive committee (NEC)”.
It was referring to a media briefing that took place in Johannesburg on Monday after a weekend meeting of the NEC.
Speaking at the briefing, Ngonyama was reported as describing Cronin as ”being unfaithful and spreading deliberate lies”.
He also said Cronin was ”out of order”.
This follows claims by Cronin — reported in a Sunday newspaper — that he was being ”marginalised” by President Thabo Mbeki’s leadership.
The SACP on Tuesday said Ngonyama’s attack on Cronin was unwarranted.
”This unfortunate statement plays directly into the hands of capitalist media and other counter-revolutionary forces in our country, which are unhappy that the SACP has grown and consolidated since its 10th congress (in 1998).”
It had also undermined the spirit, letter and content of the ANC-SACP-Cosatu-SA National Civics Organisation alliance.
”The SACP believes that it is incumbent upon all alliance partners to rise above factionalist labelling, (and) imputing conspiratorial motives,” the SACP said.
Observers have interpreted Ngonyama’s remarks as the start of a jockeying-for-power in ANC ranks, ahead of the party’s national conference set to take place in Stellenbosch from December 16 to 20. – Sapa