‘Suppressing SACP’s views by ANC an injustice to Joe Slovo’s legacy’

South African Communist Party (SACP) General Secretary, Solly Mapaila, says the suppressing of the SACP’s views by its Tripartite alliance partner, the African National Congress (ANC), is an injustice to the legacy of struggle stalwart and former SACP General Secretary Joe Slovo.

Mapaila was delivering the keynote address in East London at the memorial lecture commemorating the 30th anniversary of Slovo’s death.

The SACP and ANC have been at loggerheads over the ANC’s decision to form a Government of National Unity (GNU) with parties such as the Democratic Alliance (DA).

Mapaila says their efforts to engage the ANC about the program of action going forward about the Government of National Unity ahead of its NEC Lekgotla that is currently underway in Kempton Park have fallen on deaf ears.

“They are having a Lekgotla this weekend. We had made a public pronouncement that we will have bilateral talks before the NEC Lekgotla. It is now underway; next week there will be a government Lekgotla and so forth. So the ANC will go on to implement programs without properly engaging its allies despite our concern, especially about the government of national unity and the posture of components of the government of national unity, especially the DA.”