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The SACP joins the great majority of South Africans, not least comrades across our Alliance in welcoming President Jacob Zuma’s belated resignation. This is something that should have happened a long time ago.

The levels of parasitic looting of public resources that have occurred under President Zuma’s watch, the firing of ministers who have stood in his way, the erosion of the hard won rule of law, the perversion of key state institutions notably in the criminal justice system, the manipulation of the public broadcaster, and the auctioning off of our national sovereignty in the pursuit of private accumulation have caused huge damage to our country.

The principal victims of the state capture agenda in which President Zuma has been central has had a particularly devastating impact on the working class and the rural and urban poor.

In welcoming this long overdue resignation there are many lessons to be learnt. In the first place, this was not a willing stepping-down. Only a protracted struggle from within the ANC and its alliance has finally dislodged this President gone wrong. The SACP is proud of the role that we have played in this respect from within the Alliance and indeed from within the ANC caucus.

We also take this occasion to salute the role that many others have played in this development – including the important role of many fine journalists.

Going forward, we must be under no illusions that the struggle against corporate capture of the state, and against the looting of public resources, has ended. Today an important breakthrough has been achieved.

President Zuma’s resignation must now become a bridge-head for pursuing further action. The momentum of self-correction from within the ANC and state must be sustained and accelerated. 

Never again must we allow an individual, whatever their struggle credentials, to stand above organisational discipline, collective leadership and the democratic rule of law.

One of the critical tasks South Africans need to complete as we move forward is that of intensifying the battle to dismantle parallel state mechanisms, including rogue intelligence units and associted parasitic networks. Rogue intelligence is more likely going to be used to try and tarnish the image of sections of the leadership of our movement and civil society.

Issued by SACP