THE South African Communist Party (SACP) is looking to swell its ranks and has resolved to begin recruiting among the organised working class, general secretary Blade Nzimande said on Tuesday.
Addressing the Congress of South African Trade Unions’ (Cosatu’s) national congress in Midrand, Mr Nzimande said the party would begin recruiting within the union federation, particularly shop stewards.
The SACP would also lobby the union federation to join it in its long-established financial sector campaign, which aimed to "change the financial architecture of this country", Mr Nzimande said.
Cosatu delegates have gathered for the second day of the four-day congress on Tuesday. A new leadership lineup is expected to be announced on Wednesday.
The congress comes as Cosatu’s unity and its status in the tripartite alliance are under .
Mr Nzimande and African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma have said previously that the SACP has a direct interest in an independent and worker-led Cosatu.
"The Communist party in China is 80-million strong, why should we continue to be small," Mr Nzimande said.
The SACP, which held a central committee meeting at the weekend, put its membership at an audited 234,900 on Sunday.
The communist party’s financial sector campaign would continue to target SA’s banking system and push for the country’s finances to go into productive assets rather than consumption, said Mr Nzimande.
Mr Nzimande also said the campaign should extend to higher education funding, a political hot potato that has fuelled nationwide protests at university campuses.
"The financial sector is sitting on trillions in this country. Why are we not campaigning together as an alliance to say some of those monies, for instance, should be invested to fund higher education for poor students?"
The SACP is looking to swell its ranks and has resolved to begin recruiting among the organised working class, general secretary Blade Nzimande said. Picture: SIYASANGA MBAMBANI
THE South African Communist Party (SACP) is looking to swell its ranks and has resolved to begin recruiting among the organised working class, general secretary Blade Nzimande said on Tuesday.
Addressing the Congress of South African Trade Unions’ (Cosatu’s) national congress in Midrand, Mr Nzimande said the party would begin recruiting within the union federation, particularly shop stewards.
The SACP would also lobby the union federation to join it in its long-established financial sector campaign, which aimed to "change the financial architecture of this country", Mr Nzimande said.
Cosatu delegates have gathered for the second day of the four-day congress on Tuesday. A new leadership lineup is expected to be announced on Wednesday.
The congress comes as Cosatu’s unity and its status in the tripartite alliance are under .
Mr Nzimande and African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma have said previously that the SACP has a direct interest in an independent and worker-led Cosatu.
"The Communist party in China is 80-million strong, why should we continue to be small," Mr Nzimande said.
The SACP, which held a central committee meeting at the weekend, put its membership at an audited 234,900 on Sunday.
The communist party’s financial sector campaign would continue to target SA’s banking system and push for the country’s finances to go into productive assets rather than consumption, said Mr Nzimande.
Mr Nzimande also said the campaign should extend to higher education funding, a political hot potato that has fuelled nationwide protests at university campuses.
"The financial sector is sitting on trillions in this country. Why are we not campaigning together as an alliance to say some of those monies, for instance, should be invested to fund higher education for poor students?"
