The central committee (CC) of the SACP has been warned that its decision to contest next year’s local government elections against the ANC, its long-time ally, could lead to bloodshed in the politically volatile province of KwaZulu-Natal.
The chilling warning was delivered to the party’s CC at a meeting in August in KwaZulu-Natal. The meeting was convened at the behest of the now-disbanded provincial executive committee (PEC), which was trying to dissuade the communist party from following through with the decision to contest the election as a standalone party.
Several SACP leaders, who spoke to Sunday World on condition of anonymity, said they had requested that the CC meet with them to raise concerns emanating from the election decision. The CC subsequently came to Durban in August to listen to the PEC, which was disbanded earlier this week.
“In August, KwaZulu-Natal asked the national leadership to come to Durban for a day-long meeting where a memorandum was prepared by KZN arguing against contesting the elections.
“They (the KZN PEC) raised the potential for violence and killings between SACP and ANC candidates at the township level if there were a contest.
“Another issue was that SACP members are also ANC leaders in communities; it’s too technical to just expect splitting loyalties like that. Lastly, there was the cordial relationship between the ANC, SACP and Cosatu in KwaZulu-Natal, who are busy with joint programmes,” one leader said.
Another leader said they were merely warning the national leadership that they were putting SACP members in danger by pitting them against their ANC allies at the polls.
“There is evidence that local government politics in KwaZulu-Natal are deadly, and if we field our candidates, they may be killed, as the contest for wards is always heated. It was for that reason we asked them to reconsider the decision for the sake of peace,” the other leader said.
Two other senior leaders of the SACP confirmed that the meeting took place. “It is true that the meeting took place, but the national leadership appeared to have made up its mind that we should contest,” a leader said.
The national spokesperson of the SACP, Dr Alex Mashilo, did not directly answer questions about the August meeting. He stated that the decision to contest the elections independently was made in July and had been reaffirmed on several occasions.
“South Africa is a democratic state; no one has the right to threaten the SACP or any other [party] with violence. We have the right to contest and exercise every right in our Bill of Rights.
“The SACP will not abandon its decision because there is a threat of violence by someone. There is just no way that anyone who thinks that violence must be the order of the day should suggest that the SACP must abandon its independence and throw its resolutions under the bus,” he said.
He added that the party is not in the business of divulging minutes of SACP meetings to the media, suggesting that the meeting was typical of its kind held across the country.
According to Sunday World sources within the SACP, a meeting on Tuesday resolved that the disbanded PEC should continue its work until it has been formally served with a letter of disbandment by the CC.
Additionally, the sources said that once the letter has been received, the disbanded PEC will lodge an objection.
“We will challenge this matter once we have received the letter,” one source said.
Mashilo denied that the PEC had not been officially informed, saying the decision was clearly communicated.
