There is no need for the African National Congress to be protected from the South African Communist Party, ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe said on Wednesday.
"We must educate the younger generation that there is no revolutionary task of protecting the ANC from communists," Mantashe said at a memorial service for anti-apartheid activist Chris Dlamini in Springs, on the East Rand.
Mantashe said Dlamini had always taught his associates that "the alliance is sacrosanct".
"He always warned us against the claims of our detractors, that the ANC's association with the SACP means that the ANC is being influenced by the SACP."
Mantashe said this was not his experience.
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"Our experience is that the two influence each other. The ANC is quite capable of influencing, and is liable to be influenced by others."
Mantashe said the apartheid regime had used anti-communism as an ideological weapon.
"The focus of attack [of] those who seek to keep us in servitude is today centred on the role and position of the SACP in the South African struggle, the extent and depth of the influence of communists within the ANC."
This led to the questioning of the ANC's "independence... veracity of our own leadership and the honesty of our publicly-declared intentions, policy and programme".
Mantashe said the youth's attention especially needed to be focused in other directions.
"We must use that energy in defence of the revolution from the possible regrouping of counter-revolutionary forces. We must go out there and recruit some... back from COPE, particularly in the East Rand."
Earlier this month, a three-day alliance summit was held with the ANC, SACP, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African National Civics Organisation.
At the time, Mantashe described talks amongst the alliance partners on issues like the national planning commission as "robust".
"I don't think you are going to see more public disagreements, you're going to see more robust debates in public because we don't want to suppress that," he said. - Sapa
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