HIGHER Education Minister Blade Nzimande, who famously moonlights as SACP general secretary, saw red when Cosatu boss Zwelinzima Vavi called on him to forego the generous incentives that come with his cushy government position and go back to serve the financially ailing party on a full-time basis.
But Nzimande has steadfastly refused to abide by these incessant and irritating calls, saying his serving in the cabinet was not entirely up to him, but the party's central committee.
Besides, "if the working class abandons the state, other classes will take over", he maintains.
But who makes up the central committee?
Guluva has found out that before the recent cabinet shakeup no fewer than 16 members of the 32-strong body served at various levels of government. Three of these - including Nzimande himself - were cabinet ministers; the other two being Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies and the axed Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya.
There are three deputy ministers who serve on this committee - Jeremy Cronin (Transport), Yunus Carrim (Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs) and Ben Martins (Public Works).
Four MECs - Limpopo's Joyce Mashamba (sport, arts and culture), Mpumalanga's Madala Masuku (public works), KwaZulu-Natal's Willies Mchunu (transport, community safety and liaison) and Eastern Cape's Phumulo Masualle (health) - are some of the central committee's key decision-makers.
Over and above that, the committee boasts powerful individuals such as Gwebinkundla Qonde, director-general designate in Nzimande's department; Lechesa Tsenoli, chairperson of the Parliamentary portfolio committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs; Jenny Schreiner, deputy chief commissioner in the department of correctional services; and George Mashamba, a member of the Limpopo provincial legislature.
These, Guluva observes, are hardly the type of people who struggled to be poor. They would rather be dead than seen working in less glamorous conditions at Cosatu House.
They can debate Nzimande's possible redeployment to Cosatu House - where the cash-strapped party is squatting - a million times, but Guluva bets you with his bottom dollar, their deliberations will yield the same outcome every time - that Comrade Blade is going nowhere; he did not struggle to be poor!
Young man scorned
David Masondo, erstwhile chairperson of the Young Communist League, has been a restless and furious young fellow of late.
He has been spitting fire, fighting anyone and anything that ventured into his sight. Even the Machine Gun Man was not spared his ire. He was roasted for coming up with what Masondo called ZEE (Zuma Economic Empowerment), a black economic empowerment version that seemed to benefit only members of the Zuma family.
The Blade also felt Masondo's wrath, as did three-term YCL national secretary Buti Manamela.
Guluva cannot exactly pinpoint the root cause of this young man's discontent, except to note that he is one of the few members of the SACP's central committee who have unfortunately not been deployed to government.
Perhaps it's time we coined a new adage: Hell hath no fury like a young man scorned.
Email Guluva on: thatha.guluva@gmail.com
Blade is going nowhere
HIGHER Education Minister Blade Nzimande, who famously moonlights as SACP general secretary, saw red when Cosatu boss Zwelinzima Vavi called on him to forego the generous incentives that come with his cushy government position and go back to serve the financially ailing party on a full-time basis.
But Nzimande has steadfastly refused to abide by these incessant and irritating calls, saying his serving in the cabinet was not entirely up to him, but the party's central committee.
Besides, "if the working class abandons the state, other classes will take over", he maintains.
But who makes up the central committee?
Guluva has found out that before the recent cabinet shakeup no fewer than 16 members of the 32-strong body served at various levels of government. Three of these - including Nzimande himself - were cabinet ministers; the other two being Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies and the axed Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya.
There are three deputy ministers who serve on this committee - Jeremy Cronin (Transport), Yunus Carrim (Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs) and Ben Martins (Public Works).
Four MECs - Limpopo's Joyce Mashamba (sport, arts and culture), Mpumalanga's Madala Masuku (public works), KwaZulu-Natal's Willies Mchunu (transport, community safety and liaison) and Eastern Cape's Phumulo Masualle (health) - are some of the central committee's key decision-makers.
Over and above that, the committee boasts powerful individuals such as Gwebinkundla Qonde, director-general designate in Nzimande's department; Lechesa Tsenoli, chairperson of the Parliamentary portfolio committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs; Jenny Schreiner, deputy chief commissioner in the department of correctional services; and George Mashamba, a member of the Limpopo provincial legislature.
These, Guluva observes, are hardly the type of people who struggled to be poor. They would rather be dead than seen working in less glamorous conditions at Cosatu House.
They can debate Nzimande's possible redeployment to Cosatu House - where the cash-strapped party is squatting - a million times, but Guluva bets you with his bottom dollar, their deliberations will yield the same outcome every time - that Comrade Blade is going nowhere; he did not struggle to be poor!
Young man scorned
David Masondo, erstwhile chairperson of the Young Communist League, has been a restless and furious young fellow of late.
He has been spitting fire, fighting anyone and anything that ventured into his sight. Even the Machine Gun Man was not spared his ire. He was roasted for coming up with what Masondo called ZEE (Zuma Economic Empowerment), a black economic empowerment version that seemed to benefit only members of the Zuma family.
The Blade also felt Masondo's wrath, as did three-term YCL national secretary Buti Manamela.
Guluva cannot exactly pinpoint the root cause of this young man's discontent, except to note that he is one of the few members of the SACP's central committee who have unfortunately not been deployed to government.
Perhaps it's time we coined a new adage: Hell hath no fury like a young man scorned.
Email Guluva on: thatha.guluva@gmail.com
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