Blade Is Sorry!

Zapiro on the bourgeoisification of Comrade Blade

The South African Communist Party chief, Dr Blade Nzimande, has at last bowed to popular outrage at his purchase of a R1,1 million car for use in his capacity as Minister of Higher Education.

Comrade Blade has however not gone the whole way by surrendering the vulgar pair of wheels for something more working class as would be dictated by his sense of communist morality. Afterall his allies, Congress of South African Trade Unions had issued a plea to all ministers of bling to surrender their expensive toys.

Nzimande`s half-apology flies in the face of earlier statements by the SACP and the Ministry of  Higher Education which had found no moral fault with the comrade`s purchase of luxury wheels. Ironically this purchase was brought to the public domain by the party of monopoly capital, the Democratic Alliance.

The expose` by the DA raised serious moral questions on those who puport to be custodians of the interests and aspirations of the working class.   No wonder the media and other public commentators have come to correctly charecterised these opportunists who dupe the poor as gucci socialists whose true colours continue to be exposed on a daily basis.

Another take on Cde Blade

As for COSATU, the trade union federation got stuck on the starting-block in speaking out against Nzimande`s un-communist pair of wheels. It instead sneaked its condemnation through the back door of public outrage of such a vulgarity.

The jury is still out on the Cabinet decision to review the tendency by its members to go overboard in spending public monies.

What is tragic about the excesses of the likes of Comrade Blade is that it occurs under the shadow of a global economic crisis which has badly affected the poor who constitute his core constituency. It was therefore expected that these leaders of the working class will manifest a concience in how they spend public funds for their personal comforts.

It now remains to be seen whether Cabinet will put a lead on this wholesale looting of the public purse.