By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Outgoing South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Blade Nzimande has confirmed that he is ready to be redeployed to another position in the party.
The SACP’s 15th National Conference got under-way in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni on Wednesday morning,
Nzimande, one of the longest serving SACP general secretary’s is handing over the reins at the current National Congress.
He took over the position from Charles Nqakula at the 1998 conference.
It is believed that Nzimande’s first deputy, Solly Mapaila, is likely to be his successor.
Nzimande said it’s time to step down from the position but not from the SACP.
“I am definitely stepping down as general secretary of the SACP. This month, I can’t remember the exact date. I was elected general secretary 24 years ago. That is a very long time. In fact, other than Moses Kotane, who is the longest-serving general secretary of the SACP, other than him, I’m the longest serving. I thought perhaps it’s time for a new general secretary to take over, “said Nzimande.
He said since taking over, the party had achieved tremendously, saying that he doesn’t think they were more than 10 000 members when he became general secretary.
“We are now at over 330 000 members within a 24-year period, which is a huge and significant growth for a Communist Party. I think I am proud of stepping down, leaving an SACP that has got a significant membership,” Nzimande.
Addressing a media briefing to mark the start of the gathering, attended by local and international delegates, Nzimande said: “We are saying in the political report that in 1994, at the time of SA’s political transition to democracy, the financial sector accounted for 6% of the economy.
“Today it is 25% and industrialisation has moved in the opposite direction of the economy.
“What kind of an economy is that in a developing country, with no productive forces and industrialisation.
“Are we surprised there is high unemployment?
“Take the R8 trillion in workers’ retirements and pensions funds [and] invest that in infrastructure and the manufacturing industry, something that will create jobs.
“The PIC (Public Investment Corporation) has R3 trillion, but who is benefitting from that?
“It is the middle managers in the financial sector – supporting projects that are nowhere near creating jobs in this country.
Take R1 trillion and invest it in the productive economy – hence we want prescribed assets that will see money in the private sector being invested for economic growth.
Turning to the Eskom crisis, Nzimande said when he was elected SACP secretary general in 1998, a government report recommended that the power utility be recapitalised to avert future load shedding and a collapse of the state-owned enterprise.
“Capitalists at the time pushed for the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, which included Eskom.
“Instead of putting money into Eskom, we adopted a capitalist economic programme called GEAR (Growth, Employment and Redistribution).
Today they are blaming government and washing their hands.
“Because capitalists wanted Eskom to be privatised as far back as 1998, that is the reason why we did not invest in the power utility.
“We are in this state because of capitalist greed, “said Nzimande.
Nzimande said: “we are in the Tripartite Alliance with the ANC, we are part of government and will take full responsibility.”
The SACP is in a tripartite alliance with the ANC and Cosatu. Ordinarily, leaders of the party easily make it onto ANC deployment lists for top positions or parliamentary seats.