President Zuma's communist coat-tails and scepticism as Police Minister is 'cleared' of wrongdoing

The briefing discusses the SACP's increased cabinet representation under President Jacob Zuma, noting concerns that government roles have diluted the party's objectivity and focus on the working class. It also critiques the Auditor-General's finding that Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa was not guilty of wrongdoing despite the misuse of the South African Police Service's Secret Service Account for his private property renovations, calling for a full forensic criminal investigation.

• The South African Communist Party (SACP) has achieved its highest historical level of representation in the national cabinet with eight members under President Jacob Zuma, a reward for supporting Zuma's bid for ANC presidency in 2007.
• Critics from Cosatu and within the SACP argue that the party's presence in government has compromised its objectivity and its commitment to the poor and marginalised, while leadership has focused on increasing membership size over political education.
• The Auditor-General found that funds from the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Secret Service Account (SSA) were misused to benefit Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, yet concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing by the Minister.
• There is significant scepticism regarding the Auditor-General's clearance of Minister Nathi Mthethwa, as the AG lacks the authority to investigate corruption and the Minister contradicted his own statements regarding the use of public funds for private home renovations.
• The document asserts that only a full forensic criminal investigation by an independent body, such as the Special Investigation Unit, can restore the Police Minister's credibility by uncovering why senior SAPS officials allegedly stole over R195 000 from the SSA for his benefit.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). President Zuma's communist coat-tails and scepticism as Police Minister is 'cleared' of wrongdoing. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/president-zumas-communist-coat-tails-and-scepticism-as-police-minister-is-cleared-of-wrongdoing

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. President Zuma's communist coat-tails and scepticism as Police Minister is 'cleared' of wrongdoing. n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/president-zumas-communist-coat-tails-and-scepticism-as-police-minister-is-cleared-of-wrongdoing.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=President Zuma's communist coat-tails and scepticism as Police Minister is 'cleared' of wrongdoing |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/president-zumas-communist-coat-tails-and-scepticism-as-police-minister-is-cleared-of-wrongdoing |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndpresident, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{President Zuma's communist coat-tails and scepticism as Police Minister is 'cleared' of wrongdoing}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/president-zumas-communist-coat-tails-and-scepticism-as-police-minister-is-cleared-of-wrongdoing}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }