There is no war between factions
The South African Communist Party (SACP) has demanded the immediate dismissal of Eskom chief executive Brian Molefe and that the power utility’s board under the chairmanship of Ben Ngubane be dissolved.
In a statement released by the SACP’s Western Cape region after its provincial conference, the party also reiterated its call for President Jacob Zuma to resign, blaming the “irregular” reappointment of Molefe on him.
“Our congress reaffirmed the SACP’s progressive position that President Zuma must resign as he is no longer fit and the proper person to lead our government and movement. As the party, we demand the immediate reversal of this reckless decision and ultimately the dissolution of the board,” it stated.
The communist party also alleged Zuma was instrumental in Molefe being appointed as an ANC MP, because he wanted him to replace Pravin Gordhan as finance minister.
“Molefe was hurriedly sneaked into Parliament earlier this year by means of factional manipulation. That President Zuma immediately thereafter wanted to appoint him finance minister shows that he was complicit in the smuggling of Molefe into Parliament,” said the SACP.
“After the move was resisted and failed, it can only be to our people’s peril to turn a blind eye to the possibility that the same may have applied in Molefe’s irregular reappointment as Eskom CEO.
“It can only be to our people’s peril to turn a blind eye that the decision is yet another Saxonwold shebeen outcome in the interests of the president’s friends, the Guptas, who are the business partners of his son,” the party said.
Molefe stepped down as Eskom chief executive after he was implicated in former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s State of Capture report.
The SACP also took a swipe at ANC leaders for failing to deal with Zuma
“The incapacity of the ANC to remove Zuma is objectionable and betrays the very foundation of the national democratic revolution (NDR). It is in this context that as the SACP we strongly believe that the ANC in its current form is incapable of leading the NDR,” it said.