ANC’s Bheki Mtolo fires a jab at SACP’s Solly Mapaila amid growing tensions
Durban — The South African Communist Party general-secretary Solly Mapaila has been accused of undermining the ANC as tensions escalate between the long-standing alliance partners.
Mapaila's recent criticism, where he labelled the ANC's decision to align with the DA as akin to selling out was slammed by KwaZulu-Natal provincial ANC secretary Bheki Mtolo.
Further straining the relationship between the alliance partners was the SACP’s decision to snub President Cyril Ramaphosa’s invitation to celebrations marking the 100 days since the formation of the Government of National Unity on Monday at Luthuli House, in Johannesburg.
This raised the ire of many ANC leaders — including Mtolo, who came guns blazing on Sunday while addressing the branches of the ANC in the Harry Gwala region.
“When the general secretary of the SACP takes to the podium, he will talk about many things about the GNU. What is dangerous about him is that he does not apply even an inch of science,” said Mtolo.
He added: “When you analyse his utterances, it disqualifies him to be a communist and to be respected as a communist.”
Mtolo said Mapaila must be axed as the boss of the SACP because he fails to understand “scientific politics”.
“We must expose him for what he is. There is no way we can allow our masses to be misled. If we agree to this one day our masses will vote for black demigods because the general secretary of the SACP said any black party that is led by black people is progressive. There is no such a thing,” he said.
The roots of these tensions run deep, particularly after the formation of the GNU, a response to the ANC's diminished majority during the May 2024 elections that forced the once-dominant party to form partnerships with several other parties, including the DA, the PAC, the Freedom Front Plus, UDM, and the Patriotic Alliance.
Mapaila said it would have been better if the ANC formed a coalition with Julius Malema’s EFF and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), led by Jacob Zuma.
As tensions simmer between the ANC and the SACP, the alliance's future remains uncertain, with party leaders now publicly battling over fundamental political strategies and ideologies.
This is not the first time Mtolo has squared off with an alliance partner of the ANC.
In September, he was forced to apologise by the ANC top brass to the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) after the union affiliated to Cosatu, another ANC alliance partner, filed an R2 million against him.
The lawsuit was prompted by Mtolo’s utterances after he said Nehawu was responsible for the service delivery failures in the healthcare sector.
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