Mistake: The SACP has abandoned the working class
The South African Communist Party (SACP) says the ANC should recall President Jacob Zuma instead of embarking on a witch-hunt of ANC members of parliament who voted in favour of the motion of no confidence in him.
The SACP said on Wednesday that the “myopic campaign clothed in the name of discipline is nothing but a factionally charged agenda. Revolutionary discipline is consistent. It would have long ago acted against the rot of corporate capture of the state and its leaders.”
In its statement, the SACP once again called on Zuma to resign, failing which, the ANC should recall him.
The ruling party’s senior leaders appear divided on what should happen to the MPs who voted with the motion, which was brought to the National Assembly by the Democratic Alliance. 198 MPs voted against the motion and 177 MPs voted in favour of it.
The ANC said by its own calculations, at least 25 of its MPs defied an instruction to vote against the motion.
Leaders such Lindiwe Sisulu have said that those who voted with their conscience were empowered to do so by the Constitutional Court judgment that found National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete could decide how voting should take place.
But Zuma told an ANC Youth League cadres forum on Sunday that MPs who voted with the opposition violated rule 25 of the ANC constitution, which prevents collaboration with “counter-revolutionaries”.
Zuma also said the fact that the head of the ANC’s national disciplinary committee, Derek Hanekom, was one of the MPs who voted with the DA, should be investigated.