The ANC believes it would be wrong for the SA Communist Party (SACP) to contest elections on its own, separately from the governing party.
“Our belief is that it will be very wrong, (and) not for the progressive and transformation project in the country, because it will request ANC members to choose between the ANC and the SACP,” said ANC general manager Febe Potgieter.
“It’s like saying you must choose between your mother and father when they hit difficult patches. It doesn’t work that way,” she added.
Potgieter was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Monday about the reconfiguration of the tripartite alliance.
Responding to questions about the SACP’s threat early this month that it will either back the ANC in the elections within a reconfigured alliance or contest elections independently if that fails, Potgieter said this would present “a serious break” in terms of the transformation project in the country.
It was not the first time the SACP has announced the idea of contesting elections outside the ANC.
“We have an alliance here and a very deeply embedded system of dual membership, and dual leadership.
“If you look at both in the NEC of the ANC and Cosatu, you have comrades who are leaders at provincial, regional and national level. In that way it would be a serious break in terms of the transformation project in the country because you will present the electorate with a divisive approach.”
The basis of which the parties got into an alliance in 1928 — to address the legacy of colonialism and patriarchy — had still not been resolved and all involved agreed with that, she said.
Potgieter reaffirmed the ANC’s commitment to the alliance.
“The NEC reaffirmed its commitment to the renewal of the ANC, SACP and Cosatu because of the critique that our partners made of the ANC, we acknowledged that and have done so in a number of our conferences, as well as the task of renewal.
“The core values and principles of the alliance, the commitment to a common programme of action, and all those issues that form part of the programme of the alliance.”
She said the NEC was unanimous in its assessment that without the alliance working together with a broad front of progressive sectoral organisations and movements, the transformation of South Africa and the national democratic revolution will be in grave danger.
Fellow NEC member Zuko Godlimpi added that what journalists viewed as “ultimatums” by the SACP were considered “sharp criticisms” by the ANC and not ultimatums.
“But we do believe that there could be a better management of how these concerns are expressed so that they don’t play into the narrative that they are ultimatums.”
Godlimpi said the parties would also need to find ways to narrow the scope of disagreement on the areas of policy disagreement that have been playing out over time.
“Our position has always been that our manifesto is an alliance manifesto but the criticism that there is a degree of improvement with the other components that can influence the direction the manifesto.”
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ANC: SACP going alone would be ‘very wrong’
Image: ZIPHOZONKE LUSHABA
The ANC believes it would be wrong for the SA Communist Party (SACP) to contest elections on its own, separately from the governing party.
“Our belief is that it will be very wrong, (and) not for the progressive and transformation project in the country, because it will request ANC members to choose between the ANC and the SACP,” said ANC general manager Febe Potgieter.
“It’s like saying you must choose between your mother and father when they hit difficult patches. It doesn’t work that way,” she added.
Potgieter was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Monday about the reconfiguration of the tripartite alliance.
Responding to questions about the SACP’s threat early this month that it will either back the ANC in the elections within a reconfigured alliance or contest elections independently if that fails, Potgieter said this would present “a serious break” in terms of the transformation project in the country.
It was not the first time the SACP has announced the idea of contesting elections outside the ANC.
“We have an alliance here and a very deeply embedded system of dual membership, and dual leadership.
“If you look at both in the NEC of the ANC and Cosatu, you have comrades who are leaders at provincial, regional and national level. In that way it would be a serious break in terms of the transformation project in the country because you will present the electorate with a divisive approach.”
The basis of which the parties got into an alliance in 1928 — to address the legacy of colonialism and patriarchy — had still not been resolved and all involved agreed with that, she said.
Potgieter reaffirmed the ANC’s commitment to the alliance.
“The NEC reaffirmed its commitment to the renewal of the ANC, SACP and Cosatu because of the critique that our partners made of the ANC, we acknowledged that and have done so in a number of our conferences, as well as the task of renewal.
“The core values and principles of the alliance, the commitment to a common programme of action, and all those issues that form part of the programme of the alliance.”
She said the NEC was unanimous in its assessment that without the alliance working together with a broad front of progressive sectoral organisations and movements, the transformation of South Africa and the national democratic revolution will be in grave danger.
Fellow NEC member Zuko Godlimpi added that what journalists viewed as “ultimatums” by the SACP were considered “sharp criticisms” by the ANC and not ultimatums.
“But we do believe that there could be a better management of how these concerns are expressed so that they don’t play into the narrative that they are ultimatums.”
Godlimpi said the parties would also need to find ways to narrow the scope of disagreement on the areas of policy disagreement that have been playing out over time.
“Our position has always been that our manifesto is an alliance manifesto but the criticism that there is a degree of improvement with the other components that can influence the direction the manifesto.”
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