Cash strapped: SACP national treasurer Joyce Moloi-Moropa said at the party’s congress in Boksburg it was struggling for funds. Photo: Luba Lesolle/Gallo Images
The South African Communist Party (SACP) will rely on its members for the bulk of the funding it will require to contest the 2026 local government elections.
The party is also discussing whether or not to “donate” its votes to its alliance partner, the ANC, after the elections, at its special national congress, in Boksburg.
It will also consider whether to contest all the wards around the country when the municipal elections take place.
SACP national treasurer Joyce Moloi-Moropa told journalists at the congress that it was “not very easy for the party to have money” but that “not everything is done by using millions”.
Moloi-Moropa said the SACP was not financially well off but that would turn to its members — and other means — for funding.
“Even if we are socialists, we operate under the cloud of capitalism,” she said.
“It’s complicated sometimes to make money, so it is difficult for the party to make a lot of money.”
“You’ll find capitalists not necessarily believing in the communist party or feeling that it is an opposition to what they stand for, therefore it is difficult to make billions.”
SACP national spokesperson Alex Mashilo told the Mail & Guardian that the special conference would finalise the modalities of how the party would use its council seats after the 2026 poll.
Mashilo said it would not decide anything in advance and that the decision about who the party chose to work with in councils would have to take into account the conditions at the time.
“Tactical consideration will be by the political bureau and the central committee, both towards the 2026 election and during the elections, and evaluating the outcome of the elections afterwards.
“There are tactical and strategic considerations but this special conference will deal with matters of modality,” he said.
After its announcement two weeks ago that it would contest the local government elections as an independent party, the SACP has stated that it would not act in opposition to the ANC in the post-election phase.
The decision to contest the elections could have serious implications for ANC, which has cautioned the SACP against taking this initiative.
On Monday, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said the party would do everything possible to undermine a decision that would have dire consequences for the alliance and would “engage further” on the SACP’s decision to contest the elections.
“We have cautioned against that.
“It will have far-reaching implications on the alliance in terms of our partnership as allies going forward,” he said.
“If the SACP and ANC contest in [the same] ward, we are going to clash, and we are going to divide the base. So it has got implications and that is why we cautioned against that.”
ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile is expected to also advise against the decision in the message of support he delivers to the congress on Friday.
SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila told the M&G that the party was still discussing whether to contest the entire country.
“These are also matters that we will discuss with our alliance but we have taken that decision.
“The reconfiguration of the alliance and the modalities of contesting within a reconfigured alliance have allowed engagements on whether you contest the country or not. In the absence of that, we are contesting the entire country,” Mapaila said.
In his opening address to delegates, SACP chairpersonBlade Nzimande said the alliance partners still needed each other — perhaps more now than ever before.
“It is therefore important that we do not take each other for granted, as an alliance, as allies. We know that we are all together as one,” Nzimande said.
“We have been calling for a reconfigured alliance for a reason.
“It is unfortunate that our ANC comrades just dismissed us. We were calling for this for a reason. Today, and post-1994, we were in completely different terrain.”
Nzimande said the ANC could not renew itself without looking to the renewal of its alliance partners — and their relationship with each other.
Nzimande, who serves in the cabinet, said that the SACP’s patience in dealing with issues thus far had been abused and that the party felt it could “be taken anyhow” by the governing party.
“No, we can not accept that,” Nzimande said.