Politics.za

SAPA said Nzimande dismissed suggestions that the SACP was ready to stand on its own in future elections.

Well it seems the SACP have decided they’re not going to be splitting from the ANC anytime soon. Blade Nzimande is a big tease but if ever there was a textbook case of political battered wife syndrome this is it. There’s also the fact that according to that article the SACP claims to have 40 000 members (up from 20 000 4 years ago!) and that 50 000 votes gets you a seat in parliament they might not have managed to get into parliament let alone cabinet. But don’t let your hopes down yet folks! The SACP are “ready to make its opinions known” and I guess go back to sulking when things aren’t going their way.

This also means they will be putting their weight behind Zuma in the ANC succession battle. Or whoever else looks like they have a chance against the Mbeki camp.

Tired of being SA government’s resident whipping boy Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils has come out guns blazing against supporters of Jacob Zuma who have accused him of being part of some conspiracy to jail our former deputy president. Particularly stinging is this quote where Kasrils asks why Zuma couldn’t just keep it in his pants

He could easily have saved her, and all of us, from this nightmare by exercising a little self-control…

Eina! Kasrils also challenged his young (former?) comrades in the YCL/ANCYL to either put up some evidence about a grand conspiracy or shut up. Kasrils will also be asking the SACP to censure the YCL at this weekends SACP central planning committee over their accusations against Kasrils. Kasrils must surely be wondering why the YCL is backing an ANC politician over a long time SACP stalwart like himself?

Kasrils does try his best to say that he is neither pro- or anti-Zuma

...I was not in the pro- or anti-Zuma camp. I am a government minister serving my president and the country…

but does have a few choice words about he personally thinks of Zuma

...it is my view that he has let himself and all of us down, and only has himself to blame…

The SACP have once again started making noises that they might want to leave the tri-partite alliance. At the COSATU led protests today SACP leader Blade Nzimande asked the strikers whether the SACP should break away and was met with a resounding ‘Yes!’.

Over the weekend the SACP central committee will discuss amongst other things:

• Whether to back a specific candidate at next year’s ANC conference, as well as for the country’s presidency in 2009
• The influence of communists in the cabinet and government; and
• Whether to fight elections independently of the ANC.

I think the first two points are the most pertinent with the SACP knowing full well that if they leave the tri-partite alliance the ANC will most probably shut them out of any position of power and influence. Not to mention the political mudslinging that will take place during the run up to elections. I can already see the ‘Traitor!’ accusations flying through the air.

That being said if the SACP believes they have enough votes to put up a decent fight then by all means please run as a seperate party. If their support is decent it will probably actually be good for a number of reasons:

• It will reduce the ANC majority and if their support is large enough (unlikely but bear with me) would mean a coalition government.
• It will take some of the heat of the ANC’s ‘Death To Opposition!!!’ tactics off the current opposition parties.
• The SACP might be inclined to be more vocal about government than their current tone of ‘Slightly whiny’.

Now if they do split where does this leave their best friend Jacob Zuma? Well I don’t think he will jump to the SACP if he leaves because doing so would remove any chance of him actually being president.

Also can you imagine the ANC YL and the Young Communists going head on in an election campaign. The mind boggles at the sheer volume of crazy press releases which make no sense.

The SACP are debating on whether to formally back a candidate in the upcoming ANC succession war race. The SACP has in the past debated a number of times on whether to be a bit more independent (including one point when they were considering running their own electoral candidates) from ANC decision making but have always returned to the ANC fold, so I’m sketpical of them actually doing this.

I’ve always wondered about the actual clout the SACP has within the ANC. Many ANC politicians, including Thabo Mbeki, were members of the SACP out of convenience for ‘struggle credentials’ and once the ANC was unbanned Mbeki let his membership lapse (he certainly was no Communist). The economic decisions that the government has made in the past ten years are certainly have been the complete opposite of what the SACP would like.

Should the SACP decide to ever go it alone I do see them reduced to PAC levels with perhaps 1 or 2 seats in parliament, which is why they haven’t done so yet. Backing a succession candidate within the ANC could also be risky. Firstly I don’t see them backing Zuma as they did so during the Shaik trial and got burnt. If their choice wins then everything is hunky dory, if he/she loses I see the winning ANC faction making the SACP’s life pretty miserable, although how they could be marginalised any more then they currently are is a mystery.

• Okay Zuma going to visit Gadaffi was a bit strange but now it seems the SACP and COSATU visited the day before in order to butter up the Libyan strongman for a donation. The ANC isn’t liking that at all.
• Submissions to the African Peer Review Mechanism indicate the growing dissatisfaction with the electoral party system and political party financing.
• And lastly the Boeremag escapees are still on the run. Have the police searched the local strip joint?

It seems the rumours of a rethinking of Zuma as “champion of the left” were true. The Sunday Times has a paper written by SACP honcho Jeremy Cronin which mentions that Cronin certainly doesn’t think Zuma is their man.

Now considering that this was written before the Zuma rape allegations came to the attention of the public it seems that with these new allegations Zuma might be finding himself even more isolated in the near future.

Although Cronin does say that Zuma has a “peasant” demeanour about him. Is that a compliment or an insult? With the Commies you can never tell.