Nzimande wants Cyril ‘plotters’ secluded
Federation elects its first female president in Losi
SA Communist Party leader Blade Nzimande has called for the isolation of a group of senior ANC members alleged to be behind a plot to oust President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Nzimande was giving an address at Cosatu’s 13th national conference at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on Tuesday.
The Sunday Times reported that a group, including ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, held a “secret meeting” with former president Jacob Zuma two weeks ago to plot a way to remove Ramaphosa.
“We are not surprised at all about political plots as we have already warned about this. We said this a long time ago that this fight-back campaign should not be allowed to find space in our movement.
“The plot is actually directed at the working class, the poor and directed against all South Africans who want to try and rescue this country from some of the darkest forces who are trying to steal it,” he said.
Nzimande also said the term radical economic transformation (RET) was a decoy to loot state resources. “One of the most dangerous things is to wait [for] a fight-back campaign against protecting our state in the name of RET.
“We must reject that. We must give context to what we think by radical economic transformation, not as a shorthand to defend the corporate capture of the state.”
On Tuesday, Cosatu elected Zingiswa Losi as its first female president unopposed after former president S’dumo Dlamini said he had no interest in running for a third term.
The new first deputy is now Mike Shingange of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union; new second deputy is Louise Chipe of SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union; general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali and his deputy Solly Phetoe remain in their posts; while treasurer Freda Oosthuysen also continues in her role.