former ANC president Thabo Mbeki; (Photo credit: Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo)
Former ANC president Thabo Mbeki has called on the South African Communist Party to actively participate in upcoming national dialogues to address the plight of the working class, but the SACP remains determined to pursue autonomy. .
Speaking at the SACP's 5th Special National Conference in Boksburg on Saturday, Mbeki said it was important for alliance partners to work together to address common issues and shape the country's future.
The conference, which brought together more than 570 delegates representing 37,000 members across the country, unanimously supported Mr Mbeki's call to mobilize grassroots members for a dialogue scheduled to be held in 2025.
The effort is being organized by a coalition of foundations associated with former anti-apartheid leaders, including the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, and the National Economic Development and Labor Council (Nedrak) is helping facilitate the discussion. It will play an important role.
Mr. Mbeki is committed to an inclusive program that engages political leaders, civil society organizations, and ordinary citizens to address pressing issues such as poverty, unemployment, and racial inequality, while proposing solutions that strengthen democratic frameworks. He said he first proposed this dialogue earlier this year as a process. .
He said the participation of the SACP was essential to ensure the voices of working class and marginalized communities were heard, adding that without it other forces could dominate the discussion and move the agenda away from people's aspirations. I was warned that it was sexual.
“This dialogue is for the people,” Mbeki said, contrasting the effort with the 1994 Kempton Park negotiations that ended apartheid but were dominated by political elites.
“This is not just for political elites. This is for everyone who cares about the future of our country.”
The SACP has recently criticized the ANC as “weak” and the party's general secretary Solly Mapaila said earlier this week that this “weak leadership” could lead to the organization seeking autonomy and challenging future elections. He said a part of him was “bleeding” because of the decision. Alone.
“The arrogance of political powers led to this decision,” Mapaila said on Wednesday.
The ANC formed an alliance in the 1990s with the SACP, labor federation Cosatu and the South African National Civic Organization (Sanco), but the party claims it has often excluded it from important discussions that have shaped the country's policy.
On Saturday, Mr Mapaila said next year's dialogue would respect the SACP's call to ensure the inclusion of marginalized voices, especially working class voices, in the national dialogue.
However, he added that although the SACP has room to intervene, it has accepted the call for autonomy in the party's resolution and has no intention of reversing its decision to go it alone in the 2026 local government elections.
Mapaila added that the party intends to contest all wards in the municipal elections independently.
Participants will either adopt a focused campaign targeting specific municipalities, similar to ActionSA's approach, or a wall-to-wall strategy to establish themselves as strong candidates in local governance. We debated whether to pursue it. A wall-to-wall strategy is an electoral approach in which political parties contest all available positions in all regions, ensuring maximum visibility and representation but requiring significant resources and coordination.
“This step is essential to advance working class representation,” said SACP Deputy General Secretary Madara Masuku. “The struggle of the working class and the poor will definitely drive local governance.”
Mr Mapaila said the decision was not to sever ties with the ANC, but rather to end the “abuse” endured by the SACP within the alliance.
Mapaila cited internal challenges, pointing to the example of SACP Mpumalanga chairman Bonakele Majuba, who faced the threat of being removed from his MEC position due to power struggles within the ANC.
Despite these difficulties, Mapaila reiterated that the SACP's decision aims to strengthen the ANC by asserting the party's independence and prioritizing the interests of the working class.
He warned delegates to prepare for a potential backlash, noting that some ANC members had already begun threatening their SACP comrades over the party's decision to contest the election.
Mr Cosatu also expressed support for the SACP's decision to contest the 2026 local elections. Speaking in parliament on Saturday, Confederation of Labor vice-president Mike Shingange said the ANC would sideline its alliance partners in forming the Government of National Unity (GNU) after the May 29 elections and engage in meaningful talks with allies. It was criticized for not being involved.
He warned that the ANC's cooperation with the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the GNU was alienating its base, including the DA's opposition to the national minimum wage, the Fundamental Laws of Education Amendment (Bera) Act and the Fundamental Laws of Education Amendment (Bera) Act. He added that there was a policy conflict. National Health Insurance (NHI).
“Don't force us to love those who hate us,” Mr Shingange said, referring to the DA's ideological opposition to the Alliance's working class priorities.
He added that the ANC leadership had failed to uphold the principles of the alliance, leaving Cosatu and the SACP no choice but to assert themselves independently.
On Friday, ANC vice president Paul Mashatil acknowledged the criticism and committed to rebuilding unity within the alliance.
Mashatil said the ANC would work to restore trust and ensure the alliance continued to represent the interests of the poor and working class.
