Going it alone? What to expect at this week’s SACP conference

Delegates, guests and media representatives have converged on the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre, east of Johannesburg, on Wednesday for the 5th Special National Congress of the South African Communist Party (SACP).

The mid-term indaba of the ANC alliance partner is set to sit for four days.

It will consider and review party policies, including the party’s posture towards the contentious question of the government of national unity (GNU).

SACP standing alone?

But the main issue on the agenda is the discussion of the proposal for the SACP to stand alone and contest future elections separately from the ANC. The party is expected to field its own candidates in the 2026 local government elections.

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The issue is expected to raise heated debate among delegates from all nine provinces.

According to SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila, the proposal by the party central committee has received popular support from party members who have argued it’s long overdue.

ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile is expected to address the congress.

This is a developing story.

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