ANC must 'recall' Mbeki - SACP

2008-06-01 16:06

Johannesburg - The ANC should "recall" President Thabo Mbeki from Parliament, the SA Communist Party said on Sunday.

"While there is not yet support from our allies in this regard, the SACP continues to believe that the president of the country should be recalled," said party spokesperson Malesela Maleka following an SACP central committee meeting at Cosatu House in Johannesburg.

"The events of the past weeks have exposed the dangers of a leadership vacuum in our country.

"Quite how this (recalling Mbeki) should be done without creating more instability is a matter to be considered soberly... perhaps the calling of an early election could be considered.

"We emphasise that the SACP (together with a growing body of South African opinion) is making this call not in some grand-standing or factionalist spirit.

"On the contrary, our country and our region cannot afford to persist with the current blend of directionless absenteeism, and meddling factionalism and general irresoluteness.

Rates hike

"All of this has poisoned the security and intelligence forces of our country, the functioning of our public broadcaste, and much more," the SACP said.

Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni was another to come under fire at the meeting, following his threat to raise interest rates a further two percentage points.

"This betrays a policy mandate that is increasingly hysterical and irrelevant, if not plain dangerous, to the well-being of our country.

"An effective response to externally driven inflation shocks cannot be through macro management alone." Maleka said.

The SACP also repeated its call for the SABC board to resign.

- SAPA