President extends an olive branch to SACP

President Jacob Zuma extended an olive branch to the South African Communist Party (SACP) on Sunday, saying that the party was integral to the ANC’s success.

During a “memorial lecture” in honour of former ANC president OR Tambo in Kagiso, which was more of a campaign event in support of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, he told the crowd that the alliance between the SACP and also trade federation Cosatu was unique and was the reason the ANC would “always thrive”.

The statements come after a tumultuous period within the tripartite alliance in which both the SACP and Cosatu have called for the president to step down.

In the most recent cabinet reshuffle, Zuma removed Blade Nzimande, the general secretary of the SACP, from his position as minister of higher education and training.

Zuma was warmly welcomed by a crowd of about 500, who were mostly wearing NDZ17 shirts bearing the face of Dlamini-Zuma. While waiting for the president to arrive, the

crowd was chanting her campaign song: “We are ready for Nkosazana.”

In his lecture, Zuma praised the intentions and goals of the SACP, which he said would like to implement socialism so that all could benefit from the country’s wealth.

Zuma also repeated his support for radical economic transformation, which has become the cornerstone of DlaminiZuma’s campaign.

He advised the audience to fight more for the land than for money. He said that money “comes and goes, but when you have the land, you have wealth”.

Zuma said: “When you have the land, you must not even think about selling it because that is where your wealth is, and that’s how you can be active economically,” he said

He also spoke about his approaching departure as the governing party’s president.

Zuma said stepping down would give him an opportunity to reply to critics of the ANC.