Union federation Cosatu on Tuesday denied that its plea for the South African Communist Party members leave their legislature positions was an attempt to replace SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande with Zwelinzima Vavi.
Responding to a report in the Mail&Guardian, the Congress of South African Trade Unions said this plea was endorsed at its central executive committee (CEC) meeting in November, as they wanted the SACP’s leadership to be doing “ground work”.
Cosatu also denied suggestions that Vavi’s plea had not been authorised by Cosatu, referring to minutes of the CEC meeting.
Cosatu said it would prefer that SACP members in legislatures, who included Nzimande, who was also education minister, carried out party work among the people.
“Increasingly the SACP is unable to play its proper role. It is in danger of becoming more and more invisible, given the full-time role of its office-bearers in government and the ANC,” said Vavi in the Mail&Guardian article. — Sapa