SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande launched a thinly veiled attack on President Jacob Zuma yesterday, telling party faithful he was not afraid of being sacked from the cabinet. Nzimande, once Zuma's right-hand man, told a Young Communist League gathering in Soweto that a leader who could be "bought" was not fit to be at the helm of the ruling ANC and government. The speech marked the first time Nzimande has criticised Zuma in public, albeit in veiled terms. Previously, SACP criticism of the president has been delivered by its second deputy general secretary, Solly Mapaila. Nzimande, minister of higher education, said "the president of the ANC can't be seen to be siding with a faction", which could be understood as a reference to Zuma's links with the so-called premier league - a grouping of ANC leaders who are campaigning for the outgoing AU Commission chairwoman, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to succeed Zuma as president. Nzimande's remarks came as the pro-Zuma faction within the ANC ...
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