ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji addressed the media during at Luthuli House on Monday. Picture: Timothy Bernard / African News Agency (ANA)
ANC Youth League leader Collen Malatji has taken a strong jab at fiery SA Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Solly Mapaila, urging him to stop hiding under the ANC's skirt and remove SACP deployees from the government of national unity (GNU) if he disagrees with it.
“He must urgently withdraw all their deployees because you can't say that we are a GNU of sellouts when your national chair is there within the GNU,” he said.
“Then, it lacks a bit of consistency.”
During a media briefing on Tuesday, Malatji questioned the logic of Mapaila's criticism of the African National Congress, given that the SACP has representatives within the GNU.
He said Mapaila’s utterances were just a populist stand and nothing else.
This comes after Mapaila criticised and questioned the ANC’s decision to join the GNU. He accused the ANC of selling out the country.
Mapaila's statements also provoked a strong reaction from ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula over the weekend.
Mbalula said it was fine for Mapaila to have a different view on GNU but to call them names was disrespectful.
SACP’s national chairperson Blade Nzimande and the deputy general secretary general David Masondo both serve in the GNU.
Nzimande is the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation and Masondo serves as the deputy finance minister.
According to Malatji, the youth league was closely monitoring the progress of the GNU and so far it was stable.
Malatji argued that if Mapaila views the GNU as a sell-out structure, then the SACP members should be recalled.
“But the Solly Mapaila we know, that is a product of the Youth League and COSAS and many other structures of the movement, he is brave. We know that it’s either he will agree with the ANC on the GNU work, or will immediately withdraw those that are from the party who are in the GNU so that we’re seeing action,” Malatji said.
“Then later on, he must set up structures to contest elections on his own and stop being under the skirt of the ANC.”
According to Malatji, the SACP must form its structures if they believe they are solid enough to with the elections.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics