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Durban - The National Union of Metalworkers of SA's leadership has formed a dangerous clique and is pushing ordinary metalworkers against their will into opposing the tripartite alliance led by the ANC, the SA Communist Party's general secretary Blade Nzimande said on Friday.
Nzimande was speaking ahead of the SACP's launch of its KwaZulu-Natal election campaign in support of the African National Congress.
"The SACP nationally is of the view that the majority of Numsa members won't allow the union to be placed in the opposition," he said.
The Numsa leadership was planning an alternative state of the nation address on Thursday in Cape Town when President Jacob Zuma delivered the official address in Parliament.
"The leadership clique has actively placed itself in the opposition. We are convinced ordinary metalworkers are being pushed into this," Nzimande said.
Asked about Nzimande's comments, Numsa spokesperson Castro Ngobese said "he must stop being so paranoid. He must stop with this obsession with Numsa. Numsa will not be having a state of the nation address".
He said Numsa had been invited by the Cape Town Press Club to present feedback on what the working class could do about the problems facing South Africa.
"He [Nzimande] is picking on us. We are not intimidated by him and we are prepared to fight with him head-on. Everyone knows that institutions of higher learning in the country are burning, with students demanding access to higher education.
"So we need Blade Nzimande to provide leadership and make sure the children of the poor have higher education and have a decent future."
Nzimande is also the higher education and training minister.
