SACP pushes for further talks on alliance reconfiguration

The SACP has been mulling contesting the 2024 elections without the African National Congress (ANC), decrying the exclusion from key decisions, along with Cosatu (Congress of South African Trade Unions), by the ANC.

On Monday, SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila addressed a media briefing where he read the party’s statement following the augmented central committee meeting that took place at the weekend.

He said after two weeks of robust discussions with the party’s provincial and district structures - the committee agreed to contest elections with an effective reconfigured alliance toward the 2024 elections.

“The reconfiguration of the alliance, at the moment, is not something we’ll go back from. Future collaboration and cooperation, particularly on the platform of contesting elections, will be based on the configuration of the alliance. We’ve said if this is not possible, we will go to the second modality of the left popular front. In other words, we’ll contest without the ANC.”

Mapaila outlined the proposals that he said will form the basis of an effective reconfiguration of the alliance.

“For instance, the living conditions of our people are deteriorating, and yet the economic trajectory that we are pursuing is not meant to resolve these problems. It’s a neo-liberal capitalist trajectory, which can’t respond to the conditions faced by our people.”

In its statement, the SACP outlined five proposed conditions which include a common analysis of the socio-economic challenges facing the working class and the poor, a common socio-economic program, the development of a manifesto, and its joint implementation by leadership in all spheres of government.

The party also says lower structures of the party will, on a case-by-case basis, make motivations to contest by-elections independently.

SACP REACTS TO REPO RATE HIKE

The SACP said it’s concerned about the South African Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee's decision to increase the repo rate

Last week the SARB announced a repo rate hike of 50 basis points in response to rising inflation levels.

Mapaila described the increases as punitive, affecting mostly the working class and the poor.

“Raising interest rates is a blow to the already constrained working class, middle class, and different sections of businesses – especially SMMEs. This no doubt will depress the already low consumer spending, and thus impact aggregate demand.”

He says the central bank will reduce inflation by “engineering a depression” which will devastate the South African economy.