The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Eastern Cape has hit back at suggestions by the African National Congress (ANC) national chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, that the decision to contest next year’s local government elections is wrong, as the communist party was formed to support the former governing party.
Mantashe implied this over the weekend while addressing a gathering of the ANC in the OR Tambo region.
The Provincial Secretary of the SACP, Xolile Nqatha, quickly rebutted the claim by Mantashe, stating that none of the alliance components were formed for purposes of electoral support to each other but to pursue their historic mission.
He said this means the SACP has its own historic mission, which is to struggle for a socialist South Africa with and for workers and the poor and not “fingerprints”.
He added that they firmly hold the belief that the conditions of the alliance have been substantially altered to the disadvantage of the working class and the poor.
He said the alliance spoken about is not the one he is leading as the national chairperson, which was high on mutual and comprehensive consultation and never pursued neo-liberalism.
“We refuse to be co-opted into a cloud of neo liberal agenda at the detriment of the working class. However, we will not stand on anyone’s resolve to commit a class suicide. The SACP will continue to abide by decisions of its constitutional structures without considering personal positions of individual cadres nor sellout the Party for personal gains.
“As the Party we continue to reignite working-class participation in the democratic space. The SACP further reaffirms its commitment to democratic majority rule and people’s democracy, appreciating that the working-class forms our nation’s class majority.
Our direct electoral participation is about rebuilding a people’s democratic culture on the ground – where communities organise themselves, make decisions and act collectively in their own interests,” Nqatha said in response to Mantashe.
The decision by the SACP to independently contest the elections has divided some labour unions affiliated to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). The South African Democratic Teachers Unions has since resolved that it will call a special congress later this year or early next to allow its members to decide who to back between the ANC and the SACP.
