The South African Communist Party will discuss contesting elections under its own banner at its forthcoming special congress in Durban.
The party says that the discussion does not mean opposition to alliance partner, the African National Congress, despite differences of approaches on Zimbabwe and black economic empowerment (BEE).
The Mail & Guardian reported last year that several provincial and youth structures of the party were agitating for the party to go it alone.
Currently the SACP contests elections within the ANC-led alliance, based on an ANC election manifesto and an ANC-led list process.
SACP deputy secretary Jeremy Cronin has conceded that some communists believe these positions should be reviewed. ”As far as the leadership of the party is concerned, these alternative views are perfectly legitimate. There is nothing inherently dissident or disloyal about them, and we will seek to facilitate ongoing debate and discussion.
”As far as we know, none of those advocating a separate SACP electoral list and manifesto are calling for a breaking of the alliance,” Cronin said.
Party spokesperson Mazibuko Jara said the issue would be discussed at the special congress in April because the party’s provinces felt that the party could not remain silent on the subject.
Jara said the election issue formed part of the SACP’s ”medium-term vision”, which envisages working class hegemony in every institution. ”No decision about the country should be made without working class input, and the question is how we maximise that influence.”
Jara said the debate about contesting elections was not an indictment of the ANC. It flowed from an analysis of what, over the past 10 years, had benefited the working class.
”As a party we are taking stock in a serious way. The state is a contested terrain and we need to stake our claim against other forces.”
The party currently has a 30 000 paid-up membership, which Jara said was the largest ever.
Cronin said there was a range of proposals on elections, including the SACP contesting some municipal wards by agreement with the ANC, an SACP quota on ANC lists, and entirely separate but alliance-friendly SACP list.
Wits University academic Mzwanele Mayekiso said that besides the breakaway option, the party could consider contesting elections on the basis of a cooperative agreement with the ANC. It would then be entitled to demand a quota of MPs and Cabinet posts, based on its performance.
Mayekiso said the party commanded enough support on the ground to go the electoral route.
SACP secretary general Blade Nzimande has argued that it is ”a right-wing position” to say that working class independence necessarily entails opposition to the ANC.
Among some communists there has also been unhappiness over ANC reluctance to embrace and help drive SACP programmes, such as land and bank reform.
The party has also been critical of the ANC’s approach to Zimbabwe and BEE, arguing that the latter benefits an elite.