The SA Communist Party says it will contest the elections next year independently of the ANC. Chris Barron asked SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila ...
That decision still stands?
That still stands, yes, although we are having discussions with the ANC to see how we can work together.
You mean you’ll be co-ordinating your election strategy and tactics and so on, with the ANC?
Yes. Remember, we are one movement, we share a common programme.
So from a voter perspective, what differentiates you from the ANC?
The ANC is following a new liberal agenda which is unable to respond to the challenges our country is facing.
Isn’t it nonsense to say you’re contesting elections independently of the ANC when you’re collaborating on strategy and tactics and sharing a common programme?
No. We’re not contesting the ANC, we’re contesting elections.
Doesn’t that mean competing for votes?
We’re contesting the elections. Everyone is contesting the elections. We’ll be part and parcel of everyone contesting every available vote possible. It’s not a contest against the ANC.
How divided is your party about going it alone?
This was a unanimous decision at our congress in 2022, and it was reaffirmed by our December 2024 special national congress.
Hasn’t your chair, Blade Nzimande, said he’s not happy with the decision, and wants it revisited?
No, not the decision, the implementation of the decision. But certainly, when we implement this decision basic narratives will have to change. For instance, existing relationships. This decision can inform the reconfiguration of the alliance.
Is this why you’re facing pushback from Blade and others who are ensconced in positions of power and privilege within the ANC?
Yes, it’s expected from the ANC, because they’ve abused the Communist Party for too long. It has worked for them without a say on the table. Now we’ll get our own leverage. The ANC can listen to any other party in the country no matter how insignificant their contribution to the liberation struggle, but not to its allies. It won’t happen this time. Now we can take responsibility for the failures of our revolution.
Has the timing of your decision got anything to do with the ANC’s collapsing support?
No. Our intervention is to rescue the national democratic revolution and strengthen our programme to transform South African society.
Is this a matter of principle for you, or is it opportunistic?
It’s a matter of principle. We are not putting our personal interests first, we are looking at the interests of the working class and whether the revolution is benefiting them more than it’s benefiting the elite.
In that case shouldn’t you have done this years ago?
As you know, this resolution arose from the 2002 congress of the party, and then the 2007 congress fully affirmed it. But we kept on consulting with the ANC because we didn’t want a rupture within the liberation forces. But there have been sufficient engagements and debate on the reconfiguration of the alliance, which the ANC reneged on.
You’ve been calling for it since 1996, haven’t you?
That’s the point. It would be transformational for the working class and the poor.
So why has it taken you so long to get your act together?
It will happen after the election. There’s no doubt about it.
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