SACP says it would never advise ANC to work with 'State capturers'

JOHANNESBURG - The South African Communist Party (SACP) says it would never advise the African National Congress (ANC) to work with the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party - which it deems the "State capture party".

The SACP is currently holding its 5th special national congress at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Johannesburg.

The four-day congress will discuss the party’s future in the alliance and its continued opposition to the Government of National Unity (GNU) - among other issues.

The SACP has made no secret of its objection to the ANC going into coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA).

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The SACP says shortly after the elections, it advised the ANC to form a minority government with the EFF and other smaller parties.

SACP Secretary-General Solly Mapaila says under no circumstances did the party advise the African National Congress (ANC) to go into a coalition with Jacob Zuma’s MK Party.

"The party that we said yes, the anc should consider working with it is the EFF, we said no with the party of neoliberalism – the DA and no with the party of State capture, in this case, we characterise the MK Party. We had initially characterised the MK Party as a counter-revolutionary party,” he said on Wednesday.

Mapaila says there have been distortions in media reports suggesting the SACP is cosying up to the MK Party - something he describes as “absolute nonsense”.

Meanwhile, the MK Party says it will prove beyond reasonable doubt that this year's general elections were rigged.

The party says it will approach the courts in the new year, adding that it has strong evidence to prove its case.

In July, the MK Party withdrew its case against the IEC - which sought to invalidate the 2024 election results.

During a media briefing in Durban on Thursday, the MK Party’s Secretary-General - Floyd Shivambu - said they would go to court again.

The party maintains that the 2024 national and provincial elections were not free and fair – adding that it will continue to challenge the outcomes legally.

"the pattern that is appearing is that you've got political parties that were free votes which they were not supposed to get in certain voting districts (DVS) here in the province of KwaZulu-Natal at the expense of uMkhonto weSizwe," said Shivhambu.

He alleges that IEC officials had a hand in the alleged vote rigging.

"That was not committed by political parties - it was done by those who were mandated to do so, the electoral staff and everything else and that will be revealed when we go to court."

The IEC has previously dismissed claims of vote rigging.

At the same time, an IEC official in Pietermaritzburg is standing trial for allegedly transporting vote ballots - without supervision.