METAL workers union boss Irvin Jim warned South African Communist Party members yesterday to stop Blade Nzimande from making defamatory comments about Numsa leaders.
He said if they didn’t, the union would sue him, and “his choir”.
This follows a statement by Nzimande, the SACP general secretary, last weekend when he called for an investigation into Jim and his deputy Karl Cloete over their involvement in the running of Numsa’s Investment Company (NIC).
The pair were the only national office bearers assigned to turn around the fortunes of the NIC after the union found the company was losing millions. Jim remains on its board, but Cloete is no longer a board member.
Addressing the media after an SACP central executive committee (CEC) meeting last weekend, Nzimande said a lifestyle audit should be conducted on Jim and Cloete.
In response, Numsa called a press conference in Port Elizabeth yesterday where Jim announced they were consulting lawyers to consider suing the SACP leadership and Nzimande for defamation.
“Should Blade and his choir persist with their defamatory conduct, and ordinary members of the SACP fail to stop this choir, we shall approach the courts and seek justice. This we promise to do,” said Jim.
He said Numsa leadership has had to come to terms with the fact that every time Nzimande found a platform, he lashed out at Numsa as if they were rivals.
“Now he has really stooped too low. We had to decide whether to respond to this nonsense or not, but we said we must,” he said.
Jim said before Nzimande called for this probe, he should have done his own investigation by establishing whether Jim or Cloete were directors of any company.
If he had done so, he wouldn’t have found any company under their directorship.
He accused Nzimande of using dirty tactics to make Numsa members lose focus in the run-up to the special congress next weekend.
“These allegations have the potential to cause confusion amongst Numsa members. But we are confident in Numsa workers that they are intelligent enough to know the source of these lies. Numsa will not be distracted from its congress.”
He said a key issue that put Numsa at odds with the SACP was that Nzimande chose to defend the state at the expense of workers, contrary to Numsa supporting his deployment to Parliament.
Nzimande was appointed Higher Education Minister in 2009, when President Jacob Zuma took over.
Numsa was in full support of a leadership change when the ANC went for its elective conference in Polokwane in 2007. They supported Zuma to replace former President Thabo Mbeki.
“When we took JZ and made him president, we made him the CEO of the dominant class that exploits the working class. If we succeed in having communists in the state like Wayile and them , what is their role? Their role is to expose the limits of that state.
“There is a debate that says we have been voting for the ANC in every election, yet after voting, it continues to work in the interests of the dominant class. That’s enough. Workers must decide for themselves what to do,” said Jim.
He said Numsa was in full support of a lifestyle audit, not for himself and Cloete. But for all ANC alliance leaders and their relatives, including the SACP, Cosatu and its affiliates. Jim said these assessments should be conducted twice a year on all office bearers, from national to regional level.
He said their scope must include student movements such as the South African Student Congress (Sasco), Congress of South African Students (Cosas), and the South African National Civic Organisation in order to root out corruption.
Numsa boss to SACP: Stop Blade or I’ll sue
He said if they didn’t, the union would sue him, and “his choir”.
This follows a statement by Nzimande, the SACP general secretary, last weekend when he called for an investigation into Jim and his deputy Karl Cloete over their involvement in the running of Numsa’s Investment Company (NIC).
The pair were the only national office bearers assigned to turn around the fortunes of the NIC after the union found the company was losing millions. Jim remains on its board, but Cloete is no longer a board member.
Addressing the media after an SACP central executive committee (CEC) meeting last weekend, Nzimande said a lifestyle audit should be conducted on Jim and Cloete.
In response, Numsa called a press conference in Port Elizabeth yesterday where Jim announced they were consulting lawyers to consider suing the SACP leadership and Nzimande for defamation.
“Should Blade and his choir persist with their defamatory conduct, and ordinary members of the SACP fail to stop this choir, we shall approach the courts and seek justice. This we promise to do,” said Jim.
He said Numsa leadership has had to come to terms with the fact that every time Nzimande found a platform, he lashed out at Numsa as if they were rivals.
“Now he has really stooped too low. We had to decide whether to respond to this nonsense or not, but we said we must,” he said.
Jim said before Nzimande called for this probe, he should have done his own investigation by establishing whether Jim or Cloete were directors of any company.
If he had done so, he wouldn’t have found any company under their directorship.
He accused Nzimande of using dirty tactics to make Numsa members lose focus in the run-up to the special congress next weekend.
“These allegations have the potential to cause confusion amongst Numsa members. But we are confident in Numsa workers that they are intelligent enough to know the source of these lies. Numsa will not be distracted from its congress.”
He said a key issue that put Numsa at odds with the SACP was that Nzimande chose to defend the state at the expense of workers, contrary to Numsa supporting his deployment to Parliament.
Nzimande was appointed Higher Education Minister in 2009, when President Jacob Zuma took over.
Numsa was in full support of a leadership change when the ANC went for its elective conference in Polokwane in 2007. They supported Zuma to replace former President Thabo Mbeki.
“When we took JZ and made him president, we made him the CEO of the dominant class that exploits the working class. If we succeed in having communists in the state like Wayile and them , what is their role? Their role is to expose the limits of that state.
“There is a debate that says we have been voting for the ANC in every election, yet after voting, it continues to work in the interests of the dominant class. That’s enough. Workers must decide for themselves what to do,” said Jim.
He said Numsa was in full support of a lifestyle audit, not for himself and Cloete. But for all ANC alliance leaders and their relatives, including the SACP, Cosatu and its affiliates. Jim said these assessments should be conducted twice a year on all office bearers, from national to regional level.
He said their scope must include student movements such as the South African Student Congress (Sasco), Congress of South African Students (Cosas), and the South African National Civic Organisation in order to root out corruption.
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