The South African Communist Party (SACP) on Wednesday condemned the ”fabrication” of media stories to ”discredit” its general secretary, Blade Nzimande.
The party had ”witnessed a sustained attack” on its leadership, which included attempts to sow division between senior members of the African National Congress and the SACP, party spokesperson Malesela Maleka said in a statement.
The statement followed a meeting of the party’s leadership on Monday aimed at refining its election strategy.
The party also tackled media reports that said Nzimande was eyeing the deputy presidency of the country after the general election, a position ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe was believed to be earmarked for.
”The meeting strongly condemned the fabrication of media stories to try to discredit the SACP general secretary.
”The meeting saw this as an attack on the SACP itself,” Maleka said.
He called on SACP members to focus on helping the ANC achieve an ”overwhelming victory” in the upcoming election.
”South African mainstream media is likely to focus on these diversions [sic] rather than on the many important policy issues that require debate in the run-up to the elections.
”We call on our members not be distracted by this and that we keep focused on achieving an overwhelming ANC victory in the forthcoming elections.”
The party berated the media for ”allowing themselves to be a useful tool” to weaken the ruling alliance.
”The behaviour of sections of the mainstream media and the public broadcaster towards the ANC and the alliance is further fuelled by its disappointment at the fact that their political darling, Cope [Congress of the People], is clearly running out of steam, and its launch has become a damp squib.”
The party said it was ready to boost the ANC’s election campaign and had already mobilised voters ahead of by-elections currently under way.
The SACP pledged its full support for the ANC’s election structures and programmes, adding that it would provide a ”dedicated team of cadres to support the electoral offensive of the ANC in the Western Cape”. — Sapa