General Secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) Solly Mapaila is adamant that his party is going to participate independently in the 2026 local government elections.

Mapaila says the African National Congress (ANC) has failed on many occasions to reconfigure its alliance.

The SACP is hosting its annual Red October Rally in Klerksdorp, North West, on Sunday, drawing hundreds of supporters to the event aimed at mobilising the working class against economic hardship and inequality.

Mapaila says the party is participating in all by-elections in preparation for next year’s local government elections.

“We are unhappy about the state of affairs. I mean, the people are living in poverty, and inequalities are deepening. There is no work. The right to work is not guaranteed in this country and it’s in the Freedom Charter – this right to work. We should be guaranteeing every person the right to work and there is enough space in which people can be deployed to work, to function effectively.”

SACP SG Solly Mapaila addresses the Red October rally

The SACP General Secretary says their own revolution is facing very serious difficulties as the South African economy is stagnant, while the population keeps growing and people continue to live in poverty.

NHI

Mapaila is calling for the immediate implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) to end the crisis in the healthcare system in the country.

He highlights, among others, the collapse of public hospitals, unaffordable private healthcare and rising medical aid premiums, and further notes the need for community-led cooperatives in the food retail, transport and energy sectors.