SACP firm on decision to contest elections independently, despite Ramaphosa’s plea

From left: President Cyril Ramaphosa, SACP secretary-general Solly Mapaila and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi at the SACP’s 30th anniversary commemoration of anti-apartheid activist and SACP stalwart Joe Slovo’s death. (Photo: Musa Masilela / ANC)

By Nonkululeko Njilo

6 Jan 2025

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa used the 30th anniversary commemoration of anti-apartheid activist Joe Slovo’s death on Monday to appeal to the SACP not to contest the local government elections independently in 2026.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was due in Cape Town ahead of a crucial ANC National Executive Committee meeting on Monday afternoon, but opted to attend the commemoration, saying he would rather attend the meeting later, a move that can seen as an effort to repair relations between the ANC and SACP, amid growing tensions and an increasing divergence, despite their historically close alliance.

ramaphosa mapaila lesufi From left: President Cyril Ramaphosa, SACP secretary-general Solly Mapaila and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi at the SACP’s 30th anniversary commemoration of the death of anti-apartheid activist and SACP stalwart Joe Slovo. (Photo: Musa Masilela / ANC)

Several times, the crowd at the Avalon Cemetery in Soweto broke into song chanting, “Asiyifuni i-GNU”, loosely translated to “we do not want the GNU”. Those who delivered messages of solidarity also made this (sentiment) clear, further calling for the axeing of Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube ahead of looming teacher retrenchments.

In a not-so-direct plea, Ramaphosa cautioned against the SACP going it alone, referring to recent electoral outcomes which saw the ANC dip below 50% for the first time since 1994 — owing to the MK party, among other issues.

ANC ‘weakened’

“The ANC has been weakened, and recently, we have seen how those splinters have thoroughly weakened the ANC. We need to ask ourselves whether we are truly serious about winning state power … because if we are, then we walk together.

“If we walk separately, then we must then accept that state power is going to be diffused and it is no longer going to reside in the hands of the mass democratic movement of the alliance. That is the choice that we have to make and that is the message that I want to put forward as I say: let us remember Joe Slovo. He stood for a strong alliance. Despite the challenges and difficulties, he wanted to see an alliance that is strong,” Ramaphosa told the audience.

The SACP has more than 300,000 members, but it remains to be seen if it can win enough votes to make a political impact. As Ismail Lagardien has very clearly spelt out, SA’s history since 1994 has shown that parties with an explicitly communist agenda do not win much support.

Read more: Sorry, comrades, the South African electorate doesn’t particularly like communists

In the most recent example, the Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party won only 24,439 votes in the 2019 elections – despite having the support of SA’s biggest union, Numsa.

Read more: End of the road for the Socialist Revolutionary Workers’ Party? And what future for Numsa?

Moments after Ramaphosa’s address, SACP secretary-general Solly Mapaila said the move to contest elections independently of the liberation movement was due to the crisis of working-class representation in the country.

“On the contrary, our intention is to strengthen the alliance. Yes, in order to strengthen the alliance, we cannot be outside of us, when the situation is getting bad and very bad for our people. So we are entering this space, not as the enemies of the African National Congress,” Mapaila said.

The SACP had been discussing the possibility of a reconfiguration of the alliance for more than 20 years, which was now seemingly coming to fruition – “we have been patient enough for the President on this matter”, said Mpaila.

Read more: SACP conference will decide how to contest elections independently while staying in ANC alliance

“So the dual membership continues. We are not ending the alliance. What we are saying is that the political landscape necessitates that in order to defend the National Democratic Revolution and to regain the strength as a revolution, to confront capital, to bring back the economy to the hands of the people, the Communist Party has to strengthen our allies through standing on our own,” Mapaila said.

Ramaphosa took a swipe, seemingly directed at Mapaila over his consistent anti-GNU utterances: “Joe Slovo was eager and willing to debate, not so much to prove himself right, but to enrich and to deepen understanding of the collective as a whole. He was never impatient, he was never emotional, he was always passionate and willing to listen,” the President said.

Slovo hailed

Throughout the event, Slovo, who was among the writers of the Freedom Charter and part of the first cohort of ministers to serve in a democratic South Africa, was hailed as an exceptional and revolutionary leader.

On Slovo’s legacy, Ramaphosa described him as a white man who gave up his privileges to join the struggle against apartheid. However, he said Slovo’s vision of an equal, free and prosperous South Africa was yet to be achieved as the “shadow of apartheid” continued to exist.

“The mission to which he dedicated his life is not yet complete, that we must concede. It is, however, our shared responsibility as the liberation movement, more particularly as the alliance as well as the broader democratic movement, and also the people of SA to complete the work Joe Slovo started,” Ramaphosa said.

The SACP and Cosatu have, for years, wanted a stronger role in their alliance with the ANC, which they have accused of ignoring their policy ideas to benefit the working class and failing to consult them on key decisions in government.

At the SACP’s 5th Special National Congress last month, national chairperson Blade Nzimande, who also serves as Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, said that no one had anticipated the government of national unity that he is a part of and reiterated the urgent need to reconfigure the alliance. DM

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ANC ‘weakened’

Slovo hailed