The ANC is preparing to make a final decision on its strained relationship with the South African Communist Party (SACP) after more than a year of talks about whether alliance partners should contest elections separately.
The issue came into sharp focus at the ANC Limpopo’s 11th provincial conference in Polokwane, where party president Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a clear warning to members with dual membership.
‘Campaign for ANC’
Ramaphosa said the ANC’s national executive committee will soon take a firm position on members who belong to both the ANC and another organisation but fail to campaign for the party.
“Every member of the ANC must campaign for the ANC. That is the position, and it becomes policy. If we see you campaigning for another party, you will be in serious trouble with us and with me,” he told delegates at the Pietersburg Cricket Club.
His remarks come as tensions continue to rise within ANC structures in Limpopo. Over the weekend, newly elected provincial leaders openly expressed frustration over the SACP’s decision to contest by-elections in the province.
SACP speakers booed
Matters came to a head on Friday when SACP representatives were booed off stage by delegates, forcing ANC national leaders to step in and calm the situation.
SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila pushed back against the treatment, describing it as troubling for an alliance partner.
“We have been booed several times, and it is not something new,” Mapaila said on Sunday.
“What is worrying is that some ANC leaders are encouraging this hostility, as if the SACP is an enemy, which it is not. Almost all of our members are also members of the ANC. When you attack the SACP, you are attacking your own members.”
‘ANC is in charge’
ANC Limpopo chairperson Phophi Ramathuba said the province should not be a target for the SACP, arguing that the political reality in Limpopo is different from provinces such as Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
Speaking during a briefing on over the weekend, she said the ANC remains strong in Limpopo and continues to lead.
“In Limpopo, the ANC is still in charge and continues to drive the national democratic revolution,” she said.
“At a later stage, the Communist Party will take that forward towards socialism.”
The SACP at their 2024 conference resolved to contest elections independently.
