Right-wing group cost ANC votes, says Nzimande

Published Jun 13, 2011

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The SACP says a right-wing tendency within the tripartite alliance cost votes in the local government elections and threatened democracy.

Speaking after the party’s central committee meeting, general secretary Blade Nzimande issued a warning against those in the alliance who were disrespectful to comrades and acted against its non-racial policies and character and “tradition… of service to our people”.

Nzimande said in Joburg yesterday the warning was not directed at anyone in particular but at “tendencies that are a threat to democracy”.

He added his voice to those who have attributed the ANC’s loss of support in the local government elections in part to racist campaign talk by ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, who said white people were “thieves” who stole land.

Malema also said the DA was “for white people” and dubbed DA leader Helen Zille a “madam” – a label echoed by SACP leaders – and DA spokeswoman Lindiwe Mazibuko her “tea girl”.

It “has cost us in the election in sending messages that are incompatible with the non-racial outlook and character of our organisation”, Nzimande said.

In a statement issued after the party’s two-day central committee meeting, which included talks with its youth wing, the Young Communist League, Nzimande said the greatest lesson of the elections campaign was that “factionalism led by a dangerous right-wing demagogy within our broader movement is costing us dearly”.

His said this was “the greatest threat” not only to the ANC’s electoral performance “but also to our hard-won democratic achievements as a country”.

He said: “We are dealing with an anti-worker, anti-left, pseudo-militant demagogy that betrays all our long-held ANC-alliance traditions of internal organisational democracy, mutual respect for comrades, non-racialism and service to our people.

“It has created space for the anti-majoritarian, conservative reactive groundswell that seeks to tarnish the whole movement, portraying us all as anti-constitutionalist and as narrow nationalist chauvinists.”

He said “narrow nationalist chauvinism” had led to the split when the PAC broke away from the ANC in the 1950s.

Nzimande called on the alliance to “deal decisively with the threat” but said this did not mean “debates and differences” should be suppressed.

He said such “tendencies” should be dealt with by focusing on the programme of the alliance within government, and that unemployment, land redistribution and economic transformation should be dealt with urgently.

Nzimande said disciplining those in the ANC who stepped out of line was not the only solution but “greater political education” was necessary. “We have a challenge, like in many societies characterised by oppression; as that period recedes, younger people no longer understand where we come from.”

Although there were cases where people “violate discipline” there should be a “firmness” but also education about what the alliance stood for, such as non-racialism, he said.

Nzimande’s deputy, Jeremy Cronin, said the threat from the right-wing within the alliance was linked to corruption and had a “potential for major destabilisation”.

The SACP’s warning comes before the ANC Youth League’s elective congress, which starts on Thursday. Malema seems almost certain to be re-elected. – Political Bureau

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