The South African Communist Party’s (SACP) General-Secretary, Blade Nzimande, says that the ring leaders of the Marikana Lonmin incident should be dealt with and separated from misled strikers. He says the SACP is calling for any former structures of the African National Congress (ANC), collaborating with so-called friends of the Youth League, to be suspended from the movement itself. Nzimande says that the movement has given opportunism far too much space and tolerance. He says that there is a need for alliance partners to help each other restore basic security and safety into the lives of the mining communities. Nzimande says that since the SACP fully supports the establishment of the Independent Judicial Commission of Inquiry, investigations into the Marikana event should be left to the inquiry commission. He says without interfering, it should be ensured that the Commission conducts thorough and unbiased probes. He says that all must be uncovered. Nzimande also says that the SACP and its partners are gathering evidence from the mining community in and around Marikana as part of the evidence to be presented to the Commission. He further went on to say that talks of a leadership crisis within the Tripartite Alliance form part of ideological sag around the issue.
He says he knows of an intensifying anti-union offensive which he says partly stems from the restoration in the face of capitalist crisis. Nzimande says that such an offensive becomes emboldened by theAlliance’s division, factionalism, its own destructions, as well as the neglect of core tasks of organising in workplaces and communities, as well as the failure to deal effectively with corruption, tenderpreneuring and business unionism. As he urged members to be vigilant against those trying to weaken the movement, he reminded people as well as the members, of the positive objectives that the movement has achieved throughout the years.
– By Tshepo Tsheole, Midrand
