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Johannesburg - Citizens must give support to Jacques Pauw, SA Communist Party (SACP) leader Solly Mapaila told Popcru delegates in its Central Executive Committee meeting in Pretoria on Saturday.
"It might have crossed the line they say but I agree with the book. Go and find it. Go and get it before it is taken, read it," Mapaila said.
He added that South Africans must "give support to Pauw for standing up to wrongdoing and to the abuse of our intelligence service".
He commended Pauw for his courage in writing his book, titled The President's Keepers, saying that the state services were attempting to protect a "morally rotten president".
Pauw, an investigative reporter, was sent a cease and desist letter by the State Security Agency (SSA). The SSA threatened to go to court to get an interdict preventing NB Publishers from further distributing, printing, publishing or promoting the book should they refuse to withdraw it from bookshops.
ALSO READ: Pauw distances himself from circulating his book on social media
Mapaila said the SSA had virtually collapsed.
"What we have is just a structure. The system internally is rotten," he said.
"They have fears to confront the president when he was doing wrong. They should have put their foot down. When they could not do so, they compromised themselves. We think a deep review of the current intelligence system must be undertaken."
"That is why the intelligence service is not able to deal with massive crime in our country," Mapaila said, alleging that some individuals were colluding with criminals.
He accused the SSA of attempting to apportion the blame for the higher education crisis to the SACP when he believed it was the failure of ANC policies.
"I informed the president of the role of intelligence forces on the Fees Must Fall project. I told the president, he did nothing. They wanted to create an impression that the communist party is failing to create free education."
SSA spokesperson Brian Dube wished not to comment on the allegations Mapaila made.
Mapaila said the SACP planned to relay these concerns to Zuma on Monday during the alliance meeting at Luthuli House.
"We want him to tell us why he cannot step down as state president. He can remain as ANC president. They can keep him,” he said.
