Provincial leaders of the South African Communist Party (SACP) have accused the party’s national leadership of double standards, after the SACP decided to change its constitution to allow general secretary Blade Nzimande to hold full-time positions in both the party and the government.
Nzimande’s SACP salary in July 2007 was about R650 000 a year, with a R250 000 car allowance. The Mail & Guardian heard this week that this would now be paid to an official, still to be appointed, who will run the general secretary’s office.
As minister of higher education in Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet, Nzimande earns R1,8-million a year.
The SACP constitution explicitly states that the general secretary’s position is full time, but the central committee (CC) wants the provision amended at a special congress scheduled for December.
Some provinces have already started mobilising against the decision, arguing that lower-level communists have been banned from serving in full-time party positions while working for the government.
The North West branch is the most disgruntled, as Nzimande himself condemned the provincial party’s former secretary, Howard Yawa, for accepting a provincial cabinet position in 2004.
Yawa was eventually “instructed” to step down from the secretary’s position at the SACP’s 2005 congress in Zeerust.
“It was made clear that you cannot be an MEC while you are still occupying the permanent position of a secretary,” Yawa said this week. “At that time I was the only provincial secretary who was an MEC.”
Provinces are split over how to deal with Nzimande’s two positions, but those unhappy with the central committee decision are girding their loins. A North West provincial executive committee member said provincial secretaries should influence their delegates to oppose the move to allow Nzimande to continue in the positions.
The M&G understands that the ban on double jobs for SACP functionaries was re-emphasised at the central committee meeting in February this year.
Two provincial secretaries — Norman Shushu of the Northern Cape and Soviet Lekganyane of Limpopo — currently serve on provincial cabinets, Shushu as agriculture minister and Lekganyane as minister of local government and housing.
But North West SACP chairperson William Sebolai insisted that his province respects the CC’s decision. The potential conflict of interest was not a cause for concern.
“The SACP is part of government. Anyone can come with a different view and it can be discussed; there is no point of dispute.”
The SACP’s Eastern Cape secretary, Xolile Nqatha, defended the CC, while acknowledging that Nzimande’s dual responsibilities could create problems.
He warned that the party should be mindful of such situations because they could encourage unelected leaders to take over the general secretary’s tasks.
Sources in the Gauteng SACP said they too would support a move to get Nzimande to choose.
“He is very ambitious; he won’t give up the Cabinet post,” said a provincial source.
The disgruntled group said that Nzimande’s absence from Cosatu House will harm the party and that “allowing the general secretary to serve in Cabinet is tantamount to liquidation of the SACP”.
The North West PEC member said Nzimande would be bound by government policies and was likely to toe the ANC line on issues that the SACP would have tackled differently.
The SACP has set up a deployment and accountability commission, which will provide support and assess the party’s members appointed to Cabinet positions.
“This does not amount to micromanagement of communists and holding them hostage, but is a dynamic link between the party and comrades in government,” said national spokesperson Malesela Maleka.
Party members who believe Nzimande should vacate his full-time party position said ordinary members viewed the CC decision as “unfair” and “inconsiderate”.
“The general membership does not support the view that the constitution should be amended just to accommodate one person,” one leader said.
Last week the SACP said it supported all members appointed to posts in provincial and national government.
“The SACP must never position itself simply [as] an extra-parliamentary oppositionist bloc. We must assume full and collective responsibility for governance,” the party said.