SACP leadership won’t tolerate ANC’s arrogance: 'We have to talk' - Mapaila

JOHANNESBURG - The current leadership of the South African Communist Party (SACP) said it doesn’t want to the break away from the tripartite alliance, but noted that it won’t tolerate the African National Congress (ANC)’s arrogance.

The three-decades old alliance between the two organisations and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is currently under threat following the SACP’s recent decision to contest elections alone and no longer under the ANC banner.

ALSO READ: SACP removes Gwede Mantashe from its central committee after he missed meetings

The SACP said its decision was largely due to the ANC refusing to reconfigure the alliance’s terms to include more consensus in decision-making.

Speaking at a media briefing on Sunday in Johannesburg, the SACP’s General Secretary, Solly Mapaila, said the party remains committed to the alliance, despite the recent turmoil.

“We don’t want to preside over the break-up of the alliance. We have re-affirmed the alliance [and] its programme. That’s why [we're] here. We are talking about the intensification of our grassroot mobilisation and people’s work to deepen the national democratic revolution. There is still economic inequality in this country. The white minority still controls the largest sections of the economy, corporations have now been legalised to take over the economy of this country.”

Mapaila said that the SACP has a number of non-negotiables, should the alliance ever be reconfigured.

“We will never accept unilateralism; we need collective engagement. We remain open to engaging with the ANC, but this engagement should not be premised on the basis that [we] should withdraw from participating in the elections, then we have a talk. No. What kind of a demand is that? That’s also non-negotiable because we have never asked them to withdraw their positions.”