The SACP wants former president Thabo Mbeki to be at the forefront of the recently announced National Dialogue.
The party’s call comes after concerns that the Thabo Mbeki, Nelson Mandela, and Ahmed Kathrada foundations were apparently left out of those who will be leading the dialogue.
Last year, the three foundations urged the country to hold a debate to develop a new vision and programme for the ensuing three decades and beyond.
SACP spokesperson Mbulelo Mandlana said Mbeki should not be changed as the leading figure in the preparations for the dialogue, emphasising that this move jeopardises the credibility and legitimacy of the dialogue.
Mobilisation of working class
“The National Dialogue must take on a popular format rather than an engagement of the elite, and the dialogue must involve the key constituencies that are key to building a national consensus on the key matters of development and transformation.
“To that end, the SACP will embark on its own mobilisation of the working class to play a critical role in the National Dialogue process.
“Part of this said mobilisation will be the SACPs convening in the ‘Conference of The Left’ in September this year,” said Mandlana.
This conference, he said, aims to organise what he calls “left forces” to discuss a way forward for national development.
The Politburo met at Moses Kotane House on Friday to discuss this.
Mandlana said the politburo also zoomed in on the Sudan war, raising concerns over the escalation of the war, which he said has surpassed the Palestine war in deaths, recording 150 000 fatalities.
He said it has been suggested that it is time for a solidarity movement for Africa and the global south to stop the war from getting any worse, warning that it might lead to genocide.
The party turned its focus on the Middle East, condemning what it describes as an imperialist advance by the US and Israel.
It further warned that current wars in the region are being driven by a dangerous foreign agenda.
Attacks on Iran and Palestine
Mandlana said there is growing concern about the violence in Iran and Palestine, saying the increasing militarisation of the region reflects broader Western ambitions to dominate independent nations through force.
“The attacks on Iran are unprovoked, unjustifiable, and blatantly illegal and are aimed as a political punishment towards Iran for their autonomy and non-compliance with Israel’s regional policies and ambitions.
“As the South African Communist Party, we pledge our solidarity with the people of Iran and the people of Palestine and call on the international community to rebuke and act against these illegal activities of the US and Israel,” said Mandlana.
Mandlana said global power struggles are being manipulated to serve the interests of Western imperialism, with the aim of keeping the Zionist Israel project alive as a supporting state of Western imperialism.
He said that claims made by Israel and the US about the attacks being linked to the alleged Iran nuclear capabilities have been repeatedly expressed as untrue by experts and credible institutions.
