By Johnathan Paoli
The SA Communist Party has expressed its confidence in moving the transformation agenda forward, with or without its alliance partners.
SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila said his party has remained on track in engaging the legacies of the past, as well as combating the neoliberal framework the current status quo was attempting to instil upon South Africa.
He also reiterated that the SACP would decide on contesting the local government elections independently.
“The augmented central committee decided to take a decision on elections, based on whether or not if there was no reconfiguration of the alliance, we will contest the next local elections,” Mapaila said.
He was speaking during the opening of the SACP’s 5th Special National Congress in Boksburg on Wednesday.
The four-day event is expected to culminate in a finalisation of the party’s position, considering the recent increase in tensions surrounding not only the Government of National Unity, but also the direction of the country’s socioeconomic and political trajectory.
Mapaila said the party was focused on turning around its public profile in order to contest the erosion of the African National Congress’ moral consciousness in its strategic drive for a coalition government.
He called for an active position of addressing the decline in leadership within the tripartite alliance, stressing the need for organising the National Health Insurance as well as the immediate implementation of Sections 4 and 5 of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act.
“They are our schools. In our country, language teachers should be provided on the basis of our learners. We should not allow a situation in this country where schools are recognised as Afrikaans,” he said.
While condemning the “Moonshot Pact” as a novel strategy by neoliberal capital to undermine the transformation project, Mapaila similarly confirmed that while the SACP was open to working with anti-capital and progressive forces within the country, it has not approached the Umkhonto weSizwe Party or the Economic Freedom Fighters.
“We will work with anyone except the Democratic Alliance, but we are currently not working with anyone,” he said.
The GS said his party has never welcomed growth for its own sake, and emphasised the distinction of inclusive growth in order to further the transformation of the country.
He said in light of Black people being the face of unemployment, it remained imperative for the party to be at the forefront of engaging not only the business forces, but even government in ensuring South Africa stayed on course on changing the everyday life experiences of the majority of South Africans.
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