SACP in Mpumalanga calls for Comrade Gwede Mantashe to retract his reckless remarks

28 March 2023

The South African Communist Party (SACP) in Mpumalanga is disappointed by the ANC National Chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, on his remarks about the reconfiguration of the Alliance. While addressing a meeting, the National Chairperson made reckless remarks that the call for the reconfiguration of the Alliance is an “opportunist plot to form a breakaway party’. This is absurd, to say the least.

The SACP in the province is amongst the first structures to make the call for the party to contest state power through the ballot. This view was taken from various congresses of the Party and a resolution was taken in this regard. The Party resolved accordingly and as the province we were dictated by democratic centralism guided by the Central Committee on modalities to this effect.

The Augmented Central Committee then took a resolution on modalities, resolving to contest through the reconfiguration of the Alliance, considering other factors. This decision was communicated to the ANC and we expect the National Chairperson, who is also the former SACP Chairperson, to understand that there is no opportunistic plot here. This is a congress resolution informed by material conditions we are facing at the moment.

We therefore call for Comrade Gwede Mantashe to refrain from making such reckless statements because they have potential to damage the relationship between the Alliance partners. As someone who sits in the SACP's Central Committee, we expect him to raise his views there or consult leaders of the Party where he feels lost.

The SACP in Mpumalanga will continue to respect the decisions of its upper structures including that of contesting state and popular power through the reconfiguration of the Alliance.

Issued by Lucky Mbuyane, SACP Provincial Secretary, 28 April 2023