SACP says there’s no need for its ministers to resign after Mbalula ‘intimidation’

Despite tensions with the ANC, the South African Communist Party (SACP) says it will not instruct its members to resign from their government positions.

Tensions between the two parties have been escalating since the SACP decided to contest elections independently for the first time in a democratic South Africa. The ANC has been at pains trying to convince the communists to reverse their decision, but this has not happened so far.

On Monday, the ANC took it a step further: it now wants ANC members who hold dual membership in both parties to choose which party they will campaign for. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula even said ANC members who choose to campaign for the SACP without declaring so will be punished.

Another challenge the SACP faces is that some of its members have been deployed to government positions by the ANC. Despite this, the party’s spokesperson, Mbulelo Mandlana, told The Citizen on Monday that it will not be recalling its members who have been deployed to government positions in retaliation.

“The SACP is not considering having any of their members resign from any position of government at whatever level. There is no need or justification for such an action,” said Mandlana.

Mbalula accused of intimidation

He described the ANC’s latest stance on ANC members who may want to campaign for the SACP as “intimidation”.

“The ANC has liberty to decide how it runs its elections, but intimidation of its members is unacceptable. The threatening of people’s rights as members of the ANC and SACP is unacceptable and we reject such action. The force applied to members to make a public declaration is an act towards isolation of such members and enactment of punitive measures for holding dual membership, which of course is greatly regrettable.

“Any member at any level is free to take any decision regarding elections, including how they spend their energy in campaigns, as long as it doesn’t violate the laws of the republic as embodied in the IEC rules. The public proclamation that the ANC seems to require is not aligned to the principles of dual membership and even the spirit of an alliance. The SACP will not demand any declarations from its members,” said Mandlana.

Can the SACP survive without the ANC?

Some high-ranking ANC members who are against the SACP decision to contest the elections alone have raised concerns that the communists may not have the funds to campaign and the support they need to win wards and seats in councils when local government elections come.

But Mandlana said the party will not backtrack on its decision.

“The SACP has confidence in its electoral plans and our objectives are our own and are not measured against other parties,” he said.

Historic relationship in tatters

Meanwhile, Mbalula insists that the SACP has always been the vanguard of the tripartite alliance and the power house of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) which, according to the alliance structure, the ANC leads.

“Now that they have decided to stand on their own, the ANC constitution now kicks in in terms of their membership of the ANC and also it has got implications in terms of campaigning, so the decision that has been taken, has been communicated to structures. This includes the decision of people making a choice of whether you campaign for the ANC or the communist party,” he said on Monday.

Late last year, the ANC had also requested its party members who hold SACP membership to excuse themselves from all ANC election strategy meetings until both parties find a solution to the impasse.

The ANC’s relationship with the SACP can be traced back to the 1920s and reportedly solidified over the years, leading to the formation of the tripartite alliance.

The SACP has accused the ANC of disrespecting the alliance and moving away from its core ideals. There were also concerns about the direction the country has taken, including concerns with corruption and the abuse of state power.