31 May 2002
The South African Communist Party (SACP) is concerned about the false and misleading article published in today's Mail and Guardian on the nominations for the leadership of the SACP.
The SACP is rather perturbed that the Mail and Guardian continues to stoop so low and pursue sensation and sleaze at the expense of quality analysis and journalism. The Mail and Guardian has now become masters of writing up a full story based on quotes from unnamed sources without even a basic check of the truthfulness of statements made by its unnamed sources nor even approach the SACP officiay. What kinf of journalist writes a whole story based on unnamed sources?
The effect of this article is to put certain SACP leaders in a bad light and others in a positive light. We reject this with the contempt it deserves. This article is clearly advancing an agenda which seeks to undermine the unity and integrity of the SACP and its collective leadership. Whose agenda is the Mail and Guardian advancing through this article? The SACP has weathered 80 years of existence and political struggle in order to become the stable, cohesive, influential and popular force that it is today. Any agenda which has attempted to undermine this strength of the SACP has failed. And so will the agenda served by this article!
Even worse, the article contains inaccuracies and falsehoods such as that the Free State SACP Province has submitted its nominations for the SACP Central Committee. For the record, the SACP has not yet received any nominations for the Central Committee from any of its provincial structures. Nominations for the SACP Central Committee will close on 18 June and the majority of SACP provincial structures will hold their Provincial Councils on the weekends of 08-09 June and 15-16 June.
More importantly, the substance of the SACP's 11th Congress will focus on the economy, the state, the international situation and other policy matters central in building a better life for all in South Africa. It seems as if that the Mail and Guardian has not been able to read and make analysis of discussion documents in this regard which are freely available on the SACP website. At least, the SACP would have expected the Mail and Guardian to conduct of quality analysis and critique of these discussion documents.
The SACP invites the Mail and Guardian to rise from sensation and sleaze in order to start a real discussion on the significance of the SACP's 11th Congress.
Finally, the SACP calls on all its members not to conduct SACP affairs in the media and to remain united and disciplined as they prepare for the historic 11th Congress of our glorious and great South African Communist Party.
CONTACT
Mazibuko Kanyiso Jara (surname Jara)
Department of Media, Information and Publicity
South African Communist Party
Tel - 011 339 3621
Fax - 011 339 4244
Cell - 082 719 5543
Email - sacp1@wn.apc.org