ANC asks SACP members to ‘recuse’ themselves from its election strategy meetings

The African National Congress (ANC) has asked South African Communist Party (SACP) members to “recuse” themselves from its election strategy meetings.

This, while the two organisations seek a resolution to their impasse.

The relationship between the alliance partners has soured following the SACP’s decision to contest elections independently.

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The future of the alliance was one of the major talking points at the ANC’s National General Council (NGC), which wrapped up on Thursday.

In June, the ANC’s first deputy secretary general, Nomvula Mokonyane, made waves when she kicked out SACP members from an elections strategy meeting in Mpumalanga.

At the time, there wasn’t a policy from the ANC or the SACP on how to confront this new reality of being political rivals on the ballot paper.

However, in his closing speech on Thursday, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa said that the party remains committed to reconfiguring the alliance.

“However, as we continue to persuade each other and the important word we should underline is that we continue to ‘persuade’ each other, we will need to request SACP members who have been participating in our joint election structures to recuse themselves.”

So far, the ANC and SACP have yet to resolve a new policy regarding dual membership between the two organisations.