CHARLES MOLELE
THE South African Communist Party, an alliance partner of the African National Congress (ANC) that has grown increasingly disillusioned, has announced that it is exploring the option of running independently in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
This follows the SACP’s Augmented Central Committee meeting that took place at the weekend.
According to Solly Mapaila, General Secretary of the SACP, the Augmented Central Committee has decided after two weeks of robust discussions with the party’s provincial and district structures that their preferred approach to contesting the 2024 general elections would be with an effective and reconfigured alliance.
“By a reconfiguration, we mean a common alliance commitment to defend and advance the National Democratic Revolution (NDR), based on the vision of the Freedom Charter,” said Mapaila.
“This is the position of the SACP as we approach the 2024 elections or any by-election. The meeting also agreed that should a satisfactory reconfigured alliance not materialise, the SACP will move towards a popular Left front as an electoral modality. Furthermore, on a case-by-case basis, the lower structures of the Party will make motivations for the Party to stand independently for the by-elections.”
Mapaila said in the coming weeks and months, the South African Communist Party plans to focus on engaging with the Alliance, including the ANC and COSATU, as well as various mass organizations for youth, women, civic groups, and religious organizations, to discuss their stance on contesting elections.
“We will also engage our communities and the broader organised workers,” said Mapaila.
The SACP released a statement outlining five proposed conditions, which involve developing a shared understanding of the socio-economic issues affecting the working class and impoverished communities, creating a unified socio-economic program, crafting a manifesto, and ensuring that it is implemented collaboratively by leadership at all levels of government.
The SACP said it will engage Alliance partners for a consensus around the following:
• A common analysis of the socio-economic conditions facing the working-class and poor, followed by a common socio-economic approach programme; manifesto development; and its joint implementation by an adequately inclusive Alliance leadership in parliament, provincial legislatures, Cabinet, provincial executive councils, municipal councils, and mayoral committees.
• Conduct of Alliance candidates based on common Alliance discipline during the campaign, as well as Alliance public representatives and office bearers afterward.
• Provisions enabling elected SACP representatives to articulate independent perspectives in parliament, provincial legislatures, and municipal councils within the framework of a reconfigured alliance.
• Accountability of elected Alliance representatives, as well as of SACP members to the Party, just as ANC members are expected to be accountable to the ANC, and our people,
• A common approach and binding democratic consensus-seeking consultation to coalitions when it becomes necessary to seek coalition partners post-elections based on the results of the election.
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