City Press
*Now Malema guns for Blade * *Piet Rampedi, City Press, Johannesburg, 7 June 2011*ANC Youth League Leader Julius Malema has taken a swipe at another top President Jacob Zuma ally, South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Blade Nzimande, saying he lacked leadership qualities and had converted the communist party into a "lobby group".
Malema has escalated his efforts to topple Zuma from power at the ruling party's crucial elective national conference in Mangaung next year, by attacking his allies and praising his enemies and critics -- including former President Thabo Mbeki and Cosatu boss Zwelinzima Vavi -- as the "best cadres".
Talking about alliance politics at the Limpopo ANCYL provincial general council (PGC) over the weekend, Malema said the SACP had a leadership vacuum.
"What is supposed to be a vanguard of the working class has been converted into a lobby group. The only time we hear them speaking is when they say who must be what. We miss you Chris Hani (former SACP general-secretary) ... those who have been given the responsibility to lead this struggle ... are talking in forked tongues".
Malema added that by contrast, Cosatu's presence was "felt".SACP spokesperson Malesela Maleka said Malema had very little understanding of SACP programmes.
"I think Julius's run-ins with the communist party are well-documented and we can't expect anything more from him.
"Clearly that is a misunderstanding on his part of the party and its programmes," said Maleka.
He added that for Malema to speak as if Hani was a "static" leader, who did not understand that party programmes had to respond to "material conditions at a time", was a "complete misunderstanding" of what the former communist leader stood for.
Nzimande has repeatedly warned against "tenderpreneurship" and the use of political power for business reasons -- a veiled attack on Malema whose companies have won lucrative state tenders.
Malema lashed at Mantashe, who recently accused him of having cost the ANC white voters, saying he suffered from "myopic politics".
He denied driving away white voters.Malema said the party's share of the white vote had never exceeded 1% since 1994 because the ANC's message of BEE, affirmative action land restitution "does not speak to them".
"They never voted for President Mandela. The house where President Mandela stays in, in Houghton, that ward, the ANC never won that ward. Till today," he said.
Mantashe and Nzimande are known Zuma allies and are seen as among those backing his second term ambitions.
The league wants Mantashe replaced with its former leader and current Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.
In an indirect attack on Zuma, Malema said Mbeki -- the same man he publicly humiliated and subsequently helped remove from power nearly three years ago -- was one of the "the best cadres" because he was "intelligent, uncompromising" and the ANC won a two-third majority under his leadership.
His only mistake was to close space for political debate and seek a third term as party leader, added Malema.
"We must never be jealous of President Mbeki. That man is intelligent. That man is the product of the ANC and not agreeing with President Mbeki for a third term did not mean we wanted to kill him. You can't rub history. Mbeki is the former president of the ANC," Malema said.
Malema also claimed the state machinery was being used to dislodge him from power and jail him and his ally, Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale for alleged corruption.
"We are not scared of the state machinery. Arrested for what? There is an MEC who goes and meet with the Hawks and say me and Cassel must be arrested before the conference of the youth league," said Malema.
- City Press*From: http://www.citypress.co.za/SouthAfrica/News/Now-Malema-guns-for-Blade-20110607*
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