ANCYL calls SACP's Mapaila out on his 'hypocrisy', dares him to withdraw its deployees from GNU

The ANC Youth League has called on the SACP, the party’s tripartite alliance partner, to recall SACP deployees appointed to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s executive.

Youth league leader Collen Malatji on Tuesday said it does not make sense for the SACP to have people in the government of national unity (GNU) if the party believes it is a sell-out.

SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila has been steadfast in criticising the ANC for setting up a GNU that includes the DA.

Mapaila has attacked the ANC, saying the GNU showed the ANC is led by neo-liberals. This faction, he has said, was led by Ramaphosa.

Mapaila's statements also raised the ire of ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula at the weekend. 

Mbalula reacted angrily to an interview Mapaila gave to a podcast where he labelled the decision to enter into the GNU with the DA as a “betrayal” and a “sell-out of the aspirations of our people”.

Mbalula fired off a series of posts on social media.

“These outbursts are shocking. Nothing wrong if Solly doesn't agree with the GNU, but calling names is really crossing the line and casting aspersions on ANC leaders. I find it disrespectful coming from an ally.”

Mbalula said he would raise this during the next alliance political council. 

Malatji on Tuesday tore into the SACP and Mapaila, urging them to show bravery by recalling their leaders and members who accepted appointment into Ramaphosa’s executive.

SACP national chairperson Blade Nzimande serves as the minister of science, technology and innovation, while second deputy general secretary David Masondo was appointed as deputy finance minister. Other SACP members and leaders who serve in Ramaphosa’s executive include Buti Manamela and Polly Boshielo, who are deputy ministers of higher education and police respectively.

Malatji contended that as Mapaila believes the GNU is a sell-out structure, the SACP members should be recalled.

“Anyone who has a problem with the structure of the GNU must immediately withdraw their deployees, prepare to win the next elections on their own so that they can implement things the way they feel they should implement,” said Malatji.

Having deployees in the executive while calling the GNU a sell-out was a populist stance, he said.

“The Solly Mapaila we know, a product of the youth league and Cosas and many other structures of the movement, is brave. We know he will either agree with the ANC, honour the GNU, or immediately withdraw those from the SACP in the GNU so that we’re seeing action, contest elections on his own and stop being under the state of the ANC. Now that’s the bravery we want from the SACP, anything else is cowardice,” said Malatji.

If the SACP believed it has gathered enough structures on the ground it could help the ANC regain 60% of the vote. “But they must urgently withdraw all their deployees because you can’t say we are a GNU of sell-outs when your national chair is there within the same GNU. It lacks a bit of consistency.”

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