Having seemingly grown tired of repeatedly amending its constitution at every elective gathering, the SACP has also resolved to set up a team that will look into the kin of amendments to be made.

At the weekend the SACP amended its constitution to create the position of a second deputy general secretary.

Politburo member and head of newly re-elected general secretary Blade Nzimande's office - Solly Mapaila - was elected to this position.

Mapaila will serve full-time at the party's headquarters in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, while Nzimande and his other deputy, Jeremy Cronin, carry out their ministerial duties in President Jacob Zuma's cabinet.

In another amendment the party has made it more difficult for individuals to be nominated as leadership candidates from the floor during elective conferences.

The previous requirement was that 25% of the delegates should endorse such a nomination. This has been increased to 40%.

Nzimande said the situation arose from the fact that people were unhappy about candidates being nominated from the floor.

"Some delegates have said we should stop this thing of nominating people from the floor," he said.

The SACP has once again made calls for the re-nationalisation of former state-owned entities, chief among them Sasol, as well as the imposition of a windfall tax.

Cronin said Sasol was "keeping a big secret" about the cost of producing a single barrel of oil while selling at international prices.

Cronin claimed that Sasol produced a barrel of oil at $35 to $40 (about R280 to R320) and sold it locally at the international prices but argued that calls for a windfall tax should not be interpreted as the party being against profits.

The SACP congress has also rejected the controversial Traditional Courts Bill which is currently before Parliament.

The bill has been criticised for giving traditional leaders absolute powers and for undermining the rights of women in traditional societies.

Delegates have urged their ANC alliance partners to also reject the bill. - molatlhwao@sowetan.co.za

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Wed Jun 19 22:30:33 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 16, 2012

Mothata

@Sowetan
I thought Blade Nzimande was a black man
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Jul 16, 2012

KarlZimbiri

Mothata
@Sowetan
I thought Blade Nzimande was a black man
================================
I thought Jeremy Cronin was a white chap?
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Jul 16, 2012

Mothata

maybe it's because black is the new white.
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Jul 16, 2012

CheeseBoy

besides being leaches, wasting oxygen and tax payers money. what role does the SACP have in Mzansi,
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Jul 16, 2012

MicaParis

The rusty old Blade, and the old Crooner. No new ideas, no new vision, no new men and women with real grasp of the world. And a 'communist party' that, despite 20 years of liberty have not yet damn thinking about liberating its self out of ANC shadow! Well the day ''we'' take over as top ANC leaders it will be everybody for himself, eerrr, Comrades! We are tired of SACP and COSATU being used as conveyor vehicles to the ANC's top Government and Political Posts! The antic of SACP and COSATU such as acting as gatekeepers and lapdogs of the ANC are soon coming to an end, we cannot work so hard and others just come and get elevated to the top posts for being leaders of lame weak Organisations which does not contribute anything to our struggle to better life for all, your time is up Comrades, everyone for himself!!
Viva ANC Viva! Away with the useless tripartite alliance!!
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Jul 16, 2012

Fred55

Why do we still have a communist party in this day and age?? SACP is outdated and out of step with reality. They use all these old Marxist terms that are no longer relevant.

There are apparently 100 000 members of the Communist Party and these reds get to manipulate the ANC and 40 million odd South Africans. It is a crazy and undemocratic situation.

Come on SACP stop being a parasite on the Ar%se of the ANC and South Africa as a whole. Go and stand alone at the next elections.
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Jul 16, 2012

Fred55

The whole tripartite alliance is wrong and undemocratic. We vote for a certain party and we don't want other organisations having power of the organisation that we voted for.
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