Pretoria - The SACP and Cosatu appear to have abandoned their intention to challenge the ANC in the general elections in 2024.
The ANC’s tripartite alliance partners have instead appealed to re-elected ANC leader and incumbent State President Cyril Ramaphosa to swiftly act to unite all before the polls.
Adding more to the irony, in September during Cosatu’s 14th national congress in Kempton Park, SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila said his party would decide on whether to contest elections on its own this month, but that has yet to happen with only nine days left to the end of the year.
Commenting after the ANC held its national elective congress at Nasrec, both Cosatu and SACP appeared to have changed their minds towards the governing party and are now forging better relations.
In an indirect call for better working relations before the 2024 national elections, SACP national spokesperson Dr Alex Mashilo said: “The newly elected ANC leadership, led by president Cyril Ramaphosa, faces the challenge of continuing to lead the renewal and unity of the ANC towards success. The SACP wishes the entire collective well.
“As the president said in the political report, delivered to the conference on December 16, the renewal and unity of the ANC will be incomplete without the reconfiguration of the alliance and the renewal of ties with the masses and their growing support.”
Mashilo said millions were living under deeply concerning high levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality, which have engendered a crisis involving the inability of affected households to support their lives.
“Underpinning this situation are the prevailing economic system and structure, which leave much to be desired. In advancing renewal and unity, the ANC needs to work together more with the alliance, as part of its reconfiguration, and other South Africans who support the emancipatory goals enshrined in the Freedom Charter, to solve the problems affecting the people and to overcome them.”
Mashilo said a thorough programme of systemic and structural transformation was essential to move South Africa out of the situation which badly affects millions of people.
“The people consistently mobilised, meaningfully consulted and directly involved through participatory democracy, as well as adequately supported through public interventions and programmes, have a huge role to play in the process of economic and broader social transformation.”
Cosatu national spokesperson Sizwe Pamla added more to the speculation, saying: “Politically, the alliance has continued to struggle with its reconfiguration political programme.
“We have consistently argued that the alliance must not become an elections machinery only and its activities must not be limited to delivering and working together only during the elections, while being excluded from governance. To that end, it must exercise effective oversight and collectively define a deployment strategy.”
Pamla said their recent national congress reaffirmed that Cosatu must continue to push for the alliance to act as a political centre with the SACP starting its consultation process in preparation for it to contest elections.
“As such, the parties to the alliance must jointly drive transformation. The federation believes that the alliance should drive transformation, with tighter co-ordination of alliance programmes. Our challenge is to take forward our congress mandate, but avoid polemics that would divide the federation,” he said.
Pamla said the alliance partners must agree on the need for a fundamental change in its nature and post the ANC conference, they need to start the process of engagement. “Independent alliance formations have a right to determine what kind of political alliance(s) they want to be part of in the interest of their own members.”
Pretoria News