Public response to spurious allegations aimed at tarnishing the image of SACP General Secretary and the Party 

11 October 2018

The General Secretary of the SACP, Comrade Blade Nzimande announced on Sunday, 7 October 2018, that the Party will approach the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture to testify. This decision was taken by the Political Bureau of the Party ahead of the launch of the Red October Campaign 2018-2019 in Mapulaneng, Mpumalanga Province, where the General Secretary made the announcement. Speaking on behalf of the SACP, the General Secretary strongly condemned the abuse of state organs, including intelligence services.

The abuse of state organs and rogue intelligence were used to advance the corruption of corporate-capture of the state. This included smear campaigns aimed at tarnishing the image of those who stood up against the decay. The agenda was propagated in collaboration with certain sections of the media and hired propaganda agents, the so-called public relations business such as Bell Pottinger. As the General Secretary said, the SACP was one of the main targets of the abuse of state organs and rogue intelligence operations.

The SACP reiterates the statement made by its General Secretary, that there is no amount of intimidation – including continued smear campaigns – that will stop the Party from going ahead to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture to testify. Hardly two days after the open declaration that the SACP will approach the Commission to testify, the Party received an email from the opinions editor of the Independent Media Group. The email contains inconceivable allegations aimed at tarnishing the image of the General Secretary and the SACP. Instead of responding in private, the Party has decided, in the interest of transparency, to respond publicly and make the allegations available in this statement for all to see.

The SACP has brought the allegations to the attention of the General Secretary after receiving the email. There is one common answer which is central to all of these allegations – they are nothing but spurious allegations fabricated by the parasitic dark forces of the corporate-state-capture agenda who approached the Independent Media Group as a conduit to broadcast them. The allegations are part of smear campaign manoeuvres, this time continued as a reaction to intimidate and divert the SACP from approaching the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture to testify.

The General Secretary and the Party respectively deny and denounce the baseless allegations in the strongest terms possible. We reaffirm our Party’s resolute determination to go ahead to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture to testify. We will further deepen the just struggle to dismantle the parasitic networks of corporate-state-capture.

The SACP issued a public statement on Tuesday, 9 October 2018, on the resignation of former Minister of Finance, Comrade Nhlanhla Nene. The statement was emailed to the media and is accessible from the SACP website to all who need to know the Party’s position on the matter. 

The SACP will not respond to the allegation directed at the ANC, on whether the Guptas were its members. The ANC is capable of responding for itself. Had they ever tried to apply for SACP membership, the Party would have rejected their application with contempt.  

The email containing the spurious allegations:

On Wed, 10 Oct 2018 at 13:00, Ayanda Mdluli wrote:

Good day

My name is Ayanda Mdluli. I am a journalist at Independent News and Media. 

I am working on an investigation that alleges that Blade NZimande, the minister of transport and SG of the SACP has been to the Gupta compound on about four occasions. 

Could you kindly get him to answer some of the questions that I have to assist me with my story. I would like to know:

1.) Did you ever visit  the Saxon world Gupta compound?

2.) Who did you meet there?

3.) Who arranged the meeting for you?

4.) What were your meetings all about? 

5.) You are alleged to have visited the Guptas four times, what was the relationship that you had with the brothers? 

6.) Have you ever, in your personal capacity or organisational capacity ever received financial assistance from the Gupta's?

7.) Why have you never disclosed your link and association with the family?

8.) I understand that you once received a R1.5 million cash payment from the Gupta's, why did you never disclose it? 

9.) Given that Nhlanhla Nene has now resigned from his position as minister of finance because of his Gupta association, will you follow suite? 

10.) What are your thoughts on Nene's resignation?

11.) Did the SACP, in any way shape or form receive financial assistance from the Gupta brothers? 

12.) Did any of the Gupta's hold dual membership between the SACP and the ANC during their tenure in SA? 

Thanks, please note that my deadline is tomorrow at 17:00

Ayanda Mdluli

Group Opinions and Investigations Editor

Independent News and Media 

ENDS

Issued by Alex Mohubetswane Mashilo, National Spokesperson, SACP, 11 October 2018