Leaders from the SACP and ANC, including President Jacob Zuma, are locked in a meeting to discuss their differences after struggling for weeks to find a suitable date.

SACP chairperson Alex Mashilo confirmed that the meeting started late on Monday.

Two of the issues expected to top the agenda are the ANC’s dropping of its investigation into the Gupta family’s dealings with the state, as well as the candidate lists for the upcoming local government elections, which the SACP alleges were cooked in some regions.

“We wanted [the president] to be present because we don’t want him to act on hearsay,” Mapaila said. “He is friends with the Guptas in person. We felt it’s unfair to discuss this in a meeting and he is not there.”

The ANC in turn blamed the postponement of the meeting on the SACP.

The DA on Monday called on the SACP to support its motion in Parliament for a parliamentary ad hoc committee to investigate the alleged state capture by the Guptas.

The SACP over the weekend said it would ask the South African Council of Churches for legal and logistical help to lodge a formal complaint about the Guptas’ dealings with the state.