SACP to attend ANC’s January 8 celebrations despite rising tensions

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has confirmed  that it is forging ahead with its intention to participate in the ANC's January 8 celebrations, even as tensions between the two political allies rise.

Scheduled for Saturday, January 10, at the Moruleng Stadium in Rustenburg, the event marks the anniversary of the ANC's founding in 1912 and traditionally features messages of support from various alliance partners, including the Congress of the South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the SACP itself.

However, the relationship between these two longstanding allies has been strained by recent political manoeuvre, most notably the SACP’s decision to contest the forthcoming local government elections independently. This move was met with a hardline response from ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula, who announced that SACP members would be barred from holding dual membership and participating in ANC election-related platforms.

“We have resolved to strengthen the alliance, we have also resolved to solve this impasse but in the meantime, we will disinvite the SACP from all election preparation platforms,” he said. Mbalula revealed that this step was taken due to the SACP’s recent resolution to contest elections on their own, which the ANC strongly disagrees with.

SACP spokesperson Mbulelo Mandlana said his party will be part of the festivities this weekend.

“The SACP will be represented at the ANC's celebrations ...the SACP is committed to participating in the alliance activities and working to improve alliance coordination and alliance relations, " Mandlana stated. 

On the SACP's policy position to contest the elections independently, Mandlana said the SACP will continue to engage the ANC on its decision to exclude its members from strategic meetings even though the party will not be swayed or reconsider its policy directive.

"The SACP is confident that the path it has taken is the correct path. The members of the Communist Party in their wisdom are going to stick to the resolutions taken.

“For us there is still a need to differentiate between the words in the speech of the president (Cyril Ramaphosa) and the overall outcome of the NGC of the ANC, because as far as we are concerned, there are some differences between the two, and it is necessary that our ongoing dialogue should continue to clarify those overlaps," he stated.

Reflecting on the current situation between the alliance partners, political analyst, Thobani Zikala said the escalation of tensions between the two has the potential to spill over to Saturday's anniversary celebrations.

This he said, is as a result of the recent NGC's decion to prevent SACP members from holding dual membership and Mbalula's decision to prevent SACP members from taking part in election-related gatherings.

"I think it would be problematic for the SACP to go to the ANC's January 8th statement as an ally, or to go there to try to force the ANC’s supporters to see their line of thinking around elections, because it's clear that the ANC will not understand it," Zikalala said.

Another analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast, said the simmering tensions will further defer the realisation of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR), and lead to further division of the ANC voter, who now has an added dilemma to choose between the ANC and the SACP at the polls. 

"The ongoing tensions are going to hurt the ANC following the recent elections and now with the SACP, also contesting the elections, this will be worse. My gut feeling is that the SACP will walk away with COSATU from the alliance, leaving the ANC more vulnerable," Breakfast said.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za