The ANC and SACP met on Sunday, to discuss escalating tensions within the tripartite alliance, particularly concerning the ANC’s coalition with the Democratic Alliance in the Government of National Unity.
JOHANNESBURG - ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa says the South African Communist Party’s (SACP) decision to contest the local government elections independently will be a historic mistake.
But SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila says the party is not intending to create divisions within the alliance.
The Communist Party blames the growing tensions on the government’s neoliberal economic agenda.
Political analyst Brutus Malada has weighed in, sharing a scathing assessment of the SACP’s role within the alliance.
Malada argues that the SACP survived by aligning itself closely with the ANC, describing it as a ‘parasite sucking and surviving on the blood of its host - the ANC’.
He says while the SACP has styled itself as the ‘intellectual desk’ of the ANC, providing ideological clarity, they are both equally responsible for the rot that has happened in government over the past 30 years of the ANC's governance.
If one were to look at the SACP now, Malada feels that they do not have a strong brand, saying that its existence is known only to ANC members.
He adds that loyal ANC supporters are unlikely to shift their vote to the SACP.
Malada agrees with Ramaphosa on the SACP’s election prospects. He feels the move could prove to be a historic mistake.