7 September 2009
The SACP respects COSATU’s statement relating to the procurement of cars by Ministers in Government.
On our part as the SACP we have placed on record our view on this matter as it relates to our General Secretary. We expressed our attitude regarding the safety and security of our General Secretary and any decision that may impact on his safety, including vehicle purchase, must take this into consideration. Given the SACP’s own historical experiences, this is a practice that we have also followed, often against cde Blade Nzimande`s own wishes and preferences. For this reason we reject the notion that the General Secretary would himself indulge on extravagance and betray the ideals for which he stands. The SACP and its General Secretary remains fundamentally opposed to any form of crass materialism, greed and corruption.
The SACP will work with our alliance partners, government and broader society in the process of developing and refining overall austerity measures for the functioning of government, without distracting from our concerns about the safety and security measures relating to our General Secretary.
We further reiterate our stance that policy guidelines on Ministerial cars, with which Cde Blade has strictly complied, needs to be a collective matter and not informed by individual grandstanding created by the DA.
Issued by the SACP
Contact:
Malesela Maleka
SACP Spokesperson – 082 226 1802