The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the North West province, will, during its party’s 14th National Congress starting on Monday, lobby other provinces to support the move for the communist party to contest the coming elections, should the ANC fail to comply with its call for a reconfigured alliance.

The resolution was taken at the provincial council held in Klerksdorp on Sunday.

The council was in preparation for the National Congress to be held in Boksburg in Gauteng this week.

About hundred and forty SACP delegates from across the North West province are expected to attend the party’s national congress.

In preparation, they converged in Klerksdorp where they discussed and consolidated their positions to the national event.

Amongst issues discussed was their stand point in support of Cyril Ramaphosa taking over as President of the ANC in December.

SACP Provincial Secretary, Madoda Sambatha, says their decision is informed by a long standing principle of the party.

“In our province when we wanted President Jacob Zuma to be the president of the ANC, many people in the ANC wanted Mbeki… we were principled; Zuma became the president, but a principle today, we stand opposed as the SACP in North West, it’s a principle of family dynasty. We are oppose to dynastical politics because it is family inclined. President Zuma became a president because he was a Deputy… he knows.”

Sambatha has also reiterated their position of contesting the coming elections.

“The SACP remains a political party – it’s a political party of socialism, so is a political party that has interests in power, but has also an interest on the state power, because the state power remains the only highest concentrated power in any society. So the party yes, must contest elections,” says Sambatha.

He however has emphasised that their position to contest elections will only depend on the reaction from the ANC in respect of their call for a reconfigured alliance.

“We want to be clear that we are still choosing option one – we contest elections in reconfigured alliance, alliance of equal partners. If the ANC says no, we must tell them now in July, that the SACP must contest elections as a basis of consolidating popular power. If it means contesting in a ballot with the ANC, because the ANC has a problem with reconfiguration of the alliance, we will do so forced by them.”

When giving a message of support to the SACP provincial council, Cosatu Provincial Chairperson, Solly Lekhu, has criticised the SACP’s KwaZulu Natal resolution of lobbying that the party establish relations with unions and socialist orientated organisations. This includes Zwelizima Vavi’s South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu).

Lekhu says, “Our view is that Cosatu it is where it is because those who today are leading Saftu. What they tried to do was an orchestrated and well contracted move to try and liquidate Cosatu. We will find it very strange that there will be voices within the SACP that say there should be a discussion that is started with Saftu. In our view as Cosatu, we regard Saftu as an enemy, and we are saying that position if ever is going to take it is divisive.”

Meanwhile, the SACP’s Sambatha says they will prefer that both Blade Nzimande and Solly Mapaila should retain their positions after the party has elected its leadership during the national congress.

[Source: SABC]