SACP has been left out in the cold from ANC’s NEC

The SA Communist Party (SACP) has been guillotined from the ANC’s national executive committee leaving the party with no representative in the governing party’s top structure.

The exclusion of the Reds is said to be a result of the SACP contesting municipal elections against the ruling party in the Metsimaholo Municipality.

But SACP spokesperson Alex Mashilo yesterday said the exclusion of SACP members from the ANC’s NEC was because the party refused to participate in the ANC’s slate politics.

“We engaged differently in this conference compared to previous conferences,” he said.

“We made it very clear that while our members … have a right to participate, as SACP we will not name any preferred list.”

He added that no SACP member had campaigned to be elected onto the NEC.

But after the elective conference, the SACP are now seen as the biggest losers, with only newly elected ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa holding the power to bring the communists back into the fold.

SACP leaders were vocal in the run-up to the ANC’s 54th national conference, calling for President Jacob Zuma to resign as head of state.

The SACP casualties include its general secretary and former higher education minister, Blade Nzimande, Deputy Higher Education Minister, party chairperson and Agriculture Minister Senzeni Zokwana, deputy communist party chairperson and Sports Minister Thulas Nxesi, and SACP treasurer-general Joyce-Moloi Moropa.

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies declined nomination to the NEC.

Delegates to the ANC conference voted in a balanced leadership, forcing members in support of both Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to work together.

The numbers on both sides are almost equal. Similarly, delegates ensured that the top six leadership was split down the middle with three delegates from each faction being represented.

Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini was rewarded by Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma supporters as he retained his position in the NEC.

Dlamini is a staunch Zuma supporter and stood by the former ANC president when he faced an onslaught from the trade union federation which called for the axing of the head of state.

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