By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former president Thabo Mbeki delivered a keynote address at the 5th special congress of the SACP at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, East of Johannesburg.
The SACP’s special congress has taken place under the theme “Consolidate and Build a Powerful, Socialist Movement of the Workers and Poor”.
Mbeki called on the SACP to actively participate in an upcoming national dialogue to address the plight of the working class, but the party remains determined to pursue its autonomy.
He said it was important for the alliance partners to collaborate in tackling shared problems and shaping the country’s future.
The congress, which brought together over 570 delegates representing 37 000 members nationwide, unanimously supported Mbeki’s call to mobilise grassroots membership for the dialogue, scheduled to take place in 2025.
The initiative is being organised by a coalition of foundations associated with former anti-apartheid leaders, including the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, while the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) will play a critical role in facilitating the discussions.
Mbeki said he had first proposed the dialogue earlier this year, as an inclusive process that would involve political leaders, civil society organisations, and ordinary citizens to address pressing issues such as poverty, unemployment, and racial inequality while offering solutions to strengthen the democratic framework.
He said the SACP’s participation was essential to ensuring that the voices of the working class and marginalised communities were heard and warned that failure to engage could allow other forces to dominate the discussions, potentially steering the agenda away from the people’s aspirations.
“This dialogue is for the people, “Mbeki said, contrasting the initiative with the 1994 Kempton Park negotiations which ended apartheid but were dominated by political elites.
“This is not just for the political elites. This is for everyone who cares about the future of our country.”
SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila said their participation in the 2026 local government elections will not be a self-enrichment programme.
Mapaila was making his closing remarks to the SACP’s 5th Special National Congress which ended in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg yesterday.
Over the past four days, delegates were seized with the issue of the SACP’s decision to contest future elections independently from its traditional ally the ANC.
Mapaila said they want to serve the people not personal interests.
“Our platform for election is not a self enrichment programme. Ours will be humble to the people. We will serve the people first, we will serve the revolution first and we will serve the Party first. In this regard, we will expose and dispose all opportunists and we will never use the party for self interest.”