The ANC and SACP held their first bilateral meeting on Sunday since the May 29 elections in which the ANC performed dismally
The South Africa Communist Party (SACP) said it hopes to find common ground with its partner the African National Congress (ANC) on issues affecting the alliance.
The ANC and SACP held their first bilateral meeting on Sunday since the May 29 elections.
This meeting discussed the escalating tensions within the tripartite alliance, particularly, the ANC’s coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Watch Alex Mashilo describing the GNU as a “betrayal”
[WATCH] SACP National Spokesperson, Cde Dr. Alex Mashilo alongside ANC National Spokesperson, Cde Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri outlines the purpose of the ANC and SACP bilateral meeting currently taking place at Luthuli House, Johannesburg.#LetsDoMoreTogether pic.twitter.com/KP55BASSeW
— African National Congress (@MYANC) November 24, 2024
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“Betrayal”
After a dismal performance in the 2024 general election, the ANC formed a GNU which includes the DA and Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) amongst other parties.
SACP spokesperson Alex Mashilo described the GNU as a “betrayal of the principle of the National Democratic Revolution.”
“We went to campaign for the ANC in the 2024 May elections. We were critical of the DA, we went door to door, village by village. We entered in townships, we interacted with workers in factories. We were critical about the DA, and the DA, at that moment, was campaigning to remove the ANC from power.
“We still stand where we were. We are strategically consistent, which is why we raised our discomfort about the DA,” Mashilo said.
ANC commitment
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bengu-Motsiri affirmed the party’s ongoing commitment to the alliance, highlighting that the meeting aims to address areas of disagreement.
Bhengu-Motsiri said while there has been disagreements between the two parties, the alliance stays strong.
“From the part of the ANC, our historic commitment to the alliance remains intact and we are looking forward to this meeting, looking at those matters where they are areas of disagreement coming together to robustly engage on those matters,.
“But the idea is to actually fortify and protect the alliance, because it is an alliance really forged in struggle,” Bengu-Motsiri said.
[WATCH] The relationship between the ANC and the SACP is in sharp focus at a meeting led by party leader Cyril Ramaphosa. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri affirms the party’s ongoing commitment to the alliance, highlighting that the meeting aims to address areas of… pic.twitter.com/Xvtdos801E
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) November 24, 2024
Whispers of a break-up
Despite their opposition to the GNU, the SACP still has a minister in the coalition cabinet: Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Blade Nzimande.
Whispers of a breakup between the SACP and ANC have brewed for years and tensions escalated in September after SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila publicly clashed with ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula over the coalition.
Mapaila said the party was focused on a popular left front and had not ruled out the possibility of the front becoming an electoral vehicle.
“Previously, we said we would contest elections. We have a resolution to contest elections, but how that plays out depends on engaging with the broader front and working democratically with others. We’re still part of the alliance, but we’ve taken a critical stance against the GNU.”
The SACP described the GNU as a move to “betray the achievements of liberation movements.”
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