SACP Draws Line in the Sand: 'No Longer Junior Partners' as Tensions with ANC Reach Boiling Point

SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has served stark warning to its long-time ally, the African National Congress (ANC), declaring it will no longer tolerate being treated as a junior partner in their alliance.

Speaking at the SACP's Central Committee conference in Braamfontein, General Secretary Solly Mapaila delivered a blistering critique of the ANC's leadership, accusing it of abandoning shared revolutionary objectives and imposing neoliberal economic policies without meaningful consultation.

"We reject to be treated as a junior partner," Mapaila declared emphatically. "And those who think that they are junior partners, when they belong to the Communist Party, they are in the wrong party." Mapaila underscored the SACP's significant contributions to South Africa's liberation struggle, including armed struggle alongside the ANC, emphasizing, "We are not a junior partner in the Alliance. We have given ourselves fully to the liberation of this country."

The SACP lambasts the ANC for sidelining the alliance's revolutionary goals – eradicating racism, patriarchy, and economic inequality – with government policies perceived to favour corporate interests over working-class needs. Mapaila pointed to post-apartheid outcomes where "we have now removed, officially, the white minority in positions of power. We’ve got a democracy. But what does it mean for the poor people in the villages? Thirty years into democracy, that’s the point we are discussing."

The SACP criticizes the ANC's adoption of neoliberal policies like the Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) strategy in the 1990s as unilateral and detrimental. "Neoliberalism, when it was imposed on us, there was no discussion about it. We took away the RDP and placed GEAR on the table as an economic policy. No discussion," Mapaila said, blaming austerity and privatisation for deepening inequality and service delivery crises.

Tensions have reached a critical juncture. The SACP's 15th National Congress resolved to contest elections independently if the alliance isn't reconfigured for equal partnership – a deadline set for December 2022 has passed with no resolution. "The Congress said, if there’s no configuration of the Alliance, the SACP must contest elections on its own, with or without the configuration of the Alliance," Mapaila stated, signaling readiness to act.

This standoff underscores shifting dynamics in the Tripartite Alliance (ANC, SACP, COSATU), potentially reshaping South Africa's political landscape ahead of 2026 local elections. With pressing issues like unemployment and inequality dominating voter concerns, the SACP's assertiveness reflects broader debates on economic policy and governance. As Mapaila reminded, SACP members in ANC structures are committed communists pursuing deeper transformation – not mere junior allies.

The gloves are off in this alliance showdown, with the SACP staking its claim for respect and equality – or independence.