SACP ON ZAPIRO'S ATTENTION SEEKING CARTOON

The SACP is appalled at the cartoon by Jonathan Shapiro published on the Mail and Guardian yesterday. This is indeed B-grade schoolboy lavatory stuff, unworthy of a once talented cartoonist and unworthy of a newspaper that pretends to be serious.

There is clearly a strategy by some in the media to provoke the movement, throw insults at its leaders and hide under the principle of freedom of speech and expression when confronted. That the Editor of the paper allowed this cartoon to be published shows the extent to which the paper has lost the plot. The SACP concurs with the comments made by the ANC Secretary General that this is an attention seeking exercise. This is a ploy by Shapiro to popularize himself and get more jobs and on the side of the Mail and Guardian to increase sales.

Furthermore for us as the SACP there are clear intentions to derail and defocus the movement and the person of the President. Our people must ignore this popularity seeking maneuvers. Our focus must be on the leadership that president Zuma has provided to focus society as a whole and government in particular on the five priorities outlined in the ANC's 2009 election Manifesto and the fight against unemployment, poverty and inequality.

Statement issued by the SACP, July 8 2012

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