Members of the South African Communist Party (SACP) politburo have advised its secretariat to be less combative and to raise its differences with the alliance partners in a more ”strategic” manner. They raised concerns that the confrontational approach was plunging the party into ”unnecessary” conflicts with the ANC and its leadership.
The politburo met on Monday and released a statement supporting all public utterances by secretary general Blade Nzimande, including those in which he was seen to be criticising President Thabo Mbeki.
The statement underscored the support that Nzimande enjoys in the party, despite the Gauteng province and national chairperson Charles Nqakula not giving him his unqualified support.
Vishwas Satgar, Gauteng SACP provincial secretary, told the Mail & Guardian before the meeting on Monday that the party had a ”serious weakness” because it was fighting ”too many fights” and, as a result, it was ”lurching from controversy to controversy”.
The M&G understands that North West and Free State SACP provincial structures are also unhappy about the party’s ”overwhelming support” for ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma, which they believe has ”caused the party to abandon addressing the pressing needs of the working class – poverty, inequality, HIV/Aids and unemployment”.
Satgar said the provincial leadership planned to appeal to the SACP’s central committee to ”rethink how the SACP should engage other alliance partners [particularly the African National Congress (ANC)] to build consensus on issues that affect the poor”.
Last weekend the Gauteng branch held a fundraising dinner where the provincial leadership presented Mbeki with a special gift in honour of his leadership. The gift was apparently a compromise after the national office said they could give Mbeki a gift, but not award him the party’s highest honour, the Chris Hani Special Award.
Despite a desire by the dinner’s organisers to create an atmosphere of consensus and reconciliation, both Nzimande and Mbeki dug in their heels during their speeches.
Mbeki warned the SACP against its intentions to form a separate party and contest elections. ”If you look at the history of the ANC, all those people who broke away from us did not succeed because the conditions did not allow for them to exist as an opposition to the ANC. And we have asked them, will it not be better for them to come back home?” Mbeki said.
The main thrust of his speech was to advise the SACP to allow for different voices to be heard. Mbeki joked about the decline in his popularity, saying he was first referred to as intolerant, then as a dictator and could end up being labelled fascist.
In his speech, Nzimande said the SACP could never be wished away.
”We are not a dinosaur. There will never be a South Africa without the SACP. Those who think so will have to get used to the fact that we are part and parcel of this democracy,” Nzimande said.
He reiterated his criticism of government policies, which he said were still failing to create quality and sustainable jobs.
The SACP has confirmed that it has registered as a political party, but claims this is for financial reasons rather than an indication that the party was about to contest elections on its own.