SACP Secretary-General Solly Mapaila said plans are still on track for the party to contest the 2029 general elections alone, citing its frustration with holding meaningless meetings with its alliance party, the ANC.

Speaking at the party’s 104th birthday celebration in KwaDlangezwa community hall outside eMpangeni north of KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday, Mapaila said the 2022 congress resolution concluded that the party must contest elections. Defending the congress resolution, Mapaila said the decision was taken because the party was tired of holding meaningless meetings with its alliance party, the ANC, since it was not implementing things the alliance had agreed upon in the meetings.

Mapaila said that the ANC was arrogant, telling the SACP to take it or leave it.

He said that when Jacob Zuma ascended to the ANC and state presidency in 2009, the SACP asked him to give the party at least one department, adding that the party asked for Arts and Culture because it wanted to protect and promote indigenous languages.

Mapaila said the departments that had been allocated to the SACP meant nothing because the party ministers still ran those departments under ANC control and the minister could not make much difference. He said people are addressed in English even if they don’t understand because the government has failed to promote indigenous languages, adding that indigenous languages have been forgotten in the country.

“The problem here is that we meet and agree on something, however, we don’t see the implementation of things we agreed upon as the alliance, so I’m sick and tired of attending meaningless meetings. If you go to the meeting with the people you know will not implement what you agreed upon, there is something wrong with you,” said Mapaila.

He specified the ANC’s failure to bring land back to the people as the main reason for the poverty among black people, which necessitated the party’s decision to contest state power.

“The time for working class representation in the state has come. The reason people are poor is because their land was taken away and no one is bringing their land back into their hands.

“We cannot accept that and if you accept that please review your communism. We can’t nurse each other’s feelings. I’m sick and tired of attending meaningless meetings. We meet and we agree but nothing happens,” said Mapaila.

Furthermore, he said the SACP will never leave the tripartite alliance since it assisted in its founding. He also slammed the ANC for blaming him for the decision to contest elections independently, saying he personally did not support the idea, however, he had to align himself as it was a congress decision.

“I did not agree with this decision but I had to accept the congress resolution. District secretaries knew that I did not support it,” said Mapaila.

the SACP’s strong ally, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said its upcoming congress will decide whether they stick with the ANC or go with the SACP.

The SACP leadership also on Sunday laid a wreath at the grave of the late struggle veteran, Riot Mkhwanazi.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za

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