Cape Town – SACP national chairperson Blade Nzimande has reportedly declared he will not resign from his position in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet despite the South African Communist Party’s opposition to the government of national unity (GNU).
According to The Citizen, Nzimande, who is the the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovationclarified that he serves as an ANC deployee, not an SACP deployee, and is bound by ANC decisions.
“In the GNU I do the work I am given by the ANC because I am deployed by the ANC not the SACP, and I do it to the best of my ability,” the report quoted Nzimande as saying.
While respecting the SACP’s stance against an ANC-DA coalition due to conflicting ideologies, he said he draws parallels to the party’s approach in 1996 when it opposed the GEAR policy but stayed in government to advocate for inclusive growth.
Reports this week indicated that SACP is reportedly aiming to create a left-wing movement to challenge the GNU.
According to EWN, in its discussion documents for its upcoming special national conference, the SACP criticised the ANC for its coalition with the DA, describing it as a betrayal of its working-class policies.
The party argued that successive ANC governments have followed neo-liberal policies over the past 30 years.
The SACP intends to build a popular left front as an alternative to these policies, the report said.
