EFF and SACP start plans to host a Conference of the Left

In an unexpected turn, the EFF have revealed that they huddled up with the SA Communist Party in a meeting to discuss the country’s ideal leftist future.

According to the party, the gathering formed part of a deliberate process to re-establish relations and consolidate the left forces of the country.

Led by its general secretary Solly Mapaila, alongside their deputy general secretary Madala Masuku, the party sat with red beret leader Julius Malema, who is said to have opened the session by appreciating the invitation.

While the SACP is in a tripartite alliance with the ANC, their marriage has been under strain following the Communist Party’s decision to contest elections independently.

The EFF said that the purpose of the meeting was to lay the foundation for rebuilding principled relations and taking the first steps towards hosting a ‘Conference of the Left’.

The two organisations have agreed to establish a joint working group to lay the foundation for this anticipated gathering.

Its mandate is reported to be to develop a clear, practical programme to defend democratic gains while advancing economic emancipation.

In a statement, the EFF reported that Malema’s first remarks were that without a united left, progressive forces will continue to score own goals while the right consolidated power.

“Both organisations acknowledge the deep crises confronting South Africa: de-industrialisation, austerity-driven fiscal consolidation, collapsing energy security, mass unemployment, and extreme poverty.”

EFF spokesperson Sinawo Tambo emphasised the SACP’s position as one of the oldest liberation movements in the country following its establishment in 1921. “It has historically positioned itself as a vanguard of the working class, playing a central role in the struggle against apartheid alongside other liberation formations.

“Its cadres endured banning, imprisonment and exile, and it has consistently advocated for socialism, worker control of the economy, and international solidarity with oppressed nations.”

Because of this legacy, the red berets recognised not only the SACP’s contribution, but the overlap in the ideological inclination between the pair, as well as their views on the questions of anti-imperialism, land, state-led industrialisation, and the centrality of the working class in political transformation.

Tambo said the discussion reflected on the cracks between the left forces as well as the trust decline between workers and trade union leadership, where employees perceive unions as being too close to the employer.

“The EFF raised the urgent need to rebuild worker confidence through concrete programmes such as the insourcing of workers and the cancellation of student debt, calling on the SACP to join these struggles inside and outside parliament.”

In addition, the meeting is said to have deliberated upon the limitations of constitutional democracy, which can result in unelected institutions frustrating transformative legislation.

“All this while politicians who have enjoyed a two-thirds majority have failed to decisively implement progressive policies out of fear of ‘investors’.

“This has led to the failure to implement measures such as a State Bank. The meeting moreover agreed that energy sovereignty, mineral beneficiation, industrial policy and banking reform must form the backbone of a minimum programme for economic transformation.”

International developments are reported to have also taken centre stage in the engagement.

“Both organisations reflected on the shifting global balance of forces, the use of sanctions and destabilisation against the Global South, and the vulnerability of African states to imperial interference. Both parties agreed that as beneficiaries of international solidarity during apartheid, South Africa must never retreat from supporting oppressed nations.”

This bilateral was described as representing an important step towards rebuilding unity among formations of the working class.

“There was consensus that criticism within the left was necessary, but should not degenerate into paralysis that leaves neoliberal and right-wing forces unchallenged. This bilateral engagement represents an important step towards confronting the deepening social and economic crisis facing South Africa.”