The cold war between the ANC and its alliance partner the SACP has reached boiling point, with the two more-than-a-century-old organisations billed to host two separate media conferences at the same time on Thursday.
It will be a bruising battle of the titans between ANC secretary-general Fikile “Vutha” Mbalula and his SACP counterpart Solly “Komanisi Lokuqina” Mapaila.
But the ANC dramatically changed the time for their press briefing to 1pm on the same day, thus giving itself the advantage to have the last bite to counter the SACP.
This battle comes after the ANC NEC issued an ultimatum to all its members who are dual members with the SACP to choose who they will be campaigning for ahead of the local government elections.
Media alerts
The decision triggered the SACP to issue a press alert on Wednesday morning announcing an intention to respond to this decision on Thursday at 10am.
In a move that appears to be a clear retaliation and a manoeuvre to dilute the Communist Party press conference, Luthuli House announced at 4pm on Wednesday that it will also host its own media conference to communicate a decision that is now public information.
The now 1pm Thursday press briefing, screamed the ANC alert, will “outline the detailed steps that will be undertaken following the Special NEC convened in response to the SACP resolution to contest elections independently from the ANC”.
Mbalula vs Mapaila
The briefing of the ANC will be addressed by its secretary-general, Mbalula, while the SACP one happening at Cosatu House in Braamfontein at the same time will be commanded by his counterpart, Mapaila.
The escalation marks a pivotal point in more than 15 months of tensions between the two so-called alliance partners after the SACP special congress in December 2024 decided the reds will go it alone in the elections, far away from the ANC.
Several attempts to get the SACP top brass to reverse this decision have failed spectacularly, with Mapaila maintaining high discipline that a conference decision cannot be changed by a few leaders.
Dual members made to choose
At the ANC national general council in December, delegates mandated the national executive committee (NEC) to take a firm and decisive stance against the SACP, which was taken at the recent special NEC, which said dual members must choose one of the two.
The SACP has described the decision as tantamount to being blind-sided by their allies of more than 100 years and called for the Thursday media briefing to “deliver its perspective on the ANC’s decision to instruct them to show their allegiance to it, as opposed to the SACP, in the upcoming local government elections or face dire consequences”.
- The long-standing alliance between the ANC and SACP has dramatically worsened, with both parties scheduling simultaneous media briefings on Thursday.
- The ANC changed its press conference time to 1pm, aiming to overshadow the SACP's 10am briefing regarding the recent tensions.
- The ANC NEC has issued an ultimatum for members who belong to both parties to choose which one to campaign for in the upcoming local government elections.
- The SACP, after deciding in December 2024 to contest elections independently, has refused to reverse this decision despite ANC pressure.
- The ANC's firm stance reflects escalating conflict within the alliance, with the SACP accusing the ANC of betraying their century-old partnership.
It will be a bruising battle of the titans between ANC secretary-general Fikile "
But the ANC dramatically changed the time for their press briefing to 1pm on the same day, thus giving itself the advantage to have the last bite to counter the SACP.
In a move that appears to be a clear retaliation and a manoeuvre to dilute the Communist Party press conference,
Several attempts to get the SACP top brass to reverse this decision have failed spectacularly, with Mapaila maintaining high discipline that a conference decision cannot be changed by a few leaders.
At the ANC national general council in
