DA’s appointment of controversial figure revives SACP relevance

Now that the dust has settled on the election and its outcomes – and the business of governing is in full speed – those who were vehemently opposed to the formation of the government of national unity cannot hold back any more.

The general secretary of the SACP, Solly Mapaila, had an outburst during a podcast interview with Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, calling ANC leaders names and telling them that they betrayed the aspirations of black people.

It does not help that DA leader John Steenhuisen has appointed a controversial and allegedly alt-right blogger Roman Cabanac as his chief of staff in the department of agriculture.

The SACP seems to be caught in a timewarp. It imagines itself to be still in the late ’90s and early 2000s when its opinion and that of Cosatu could be the tail that wagged the dog in the tripartite alliance with the then governing ANC.

Back then, the alliance was central to the decisions of the ANC and they would scream blue murder if there was a government policy change that they felt they were not consulted about.

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Mapaila says the ANC betrayed its voters by going into government with the DA. Surely the best time and place for his outburst would have been around the time of the GNU negotiations?

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula was quick to hit back and called Mapaila’s comments disrespectful.

It is comical when leaders who not only have each other’s cellphone numbers, but are most probably in common WhatsApp groups, choose to communicate via the media.

Apart from the comic relief that the exchanges provide, they put the relationship between their organisations in proper perspective.

In simple terms, when a wife and husband who live in the same dwelling resort to communicating through letters or friends the relationship is done. The SACP should have got the message aeons ago, their relationship with ANC served its purpose but was now done.

ALSO READ: ‘Better to be irritated by EFF than neo-liberal forces’ – SACP’s Mapaila slams the GNU

The most senior SACP beneficiary of the ANCSACP relationship is one Dr Blade Nzimande, who is still a minister in the GNU.

Perhaps if anyone should have objected to the ANC governing with the DA the best-placed person would have been Nzimande, who is not only the chair of the SACP, but has been in government for years and has seen the declining fortunes of the ANC from within.

Steenhuisen’s appointment of Roman Cabanac will give people like Mapaila the courage to continue their rants against the GNU, thus distracting it from ensuring governance is done properly.

He offers some bizarre defence of his controversial appointment by saying the chief of staff position is an “inward-looking” position so Cabanac will not be interacting with the public.

Really? A person who allegedly made social media posts referring to black people as “Bantu people” is okay to work in government where he will interact with them?

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There is no shame in Steenhuisen admitting his error and appointing someone else, instead of digging in his heels and trying to justify the DA’s own version of cadre deployment.

But most importantly, the DA must really ask itself if it wants the label that it is a “white party” to continue to be associated with them.

People like Mapaila will feel vindicated by the appointment of people like Cabanac because it will clearly show that the ANC has capitulated so much and strayed off the progressive line to end up working with alleged racists.

They give relevance to parties that are no longer effective or needed.