SACP lists GNU as 2024 political highlight but disapproves DA's inclusion

The SA Communist Party (SACP) has reiterated its strong disapproval of the Democratic Alliance's (DA) inclusion in the Government of National Unity (GNU), condemning it as a betrayal of the sacrifices of freedom fighters.

The SA Communist Party (SACP) has reiterated its strong disapproval of the Democratic Alliance's (DA) inclusion in the Government of National Unity (GNU), condemning it as a betrayal of the sacrifices of freedom fighters.

Published Dec 31, 2024

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The SA Communist Party (SACP) has reiterated its strong disapproval of the Democratic Alliance's (DA) inclusion in the Government of National Unity (GNU), condemning it as a betrayal of the sacrifices of freedom fighters.

"It is deeply disappointing that the neo-liberal structural reform ideology and political direction driven by imperialist-controlled institutions and monopoly capital is increasingly being embedded in our policy space under the GNU, which includes the anti-national democratic revolution DA," it said.

"The imperialist forces and both the domestic and foreign sections of capital promote this agenda and seek direct control of our country’s policy space through the right-wing, neo-liberal DA."

The SACP said it was disappointed with the DA's "infiltration" and the policies that have been implemented within the state.

The SACP criticised the DA and its supporters in their year-end statement, claiming that they had a covert plan to influence national policies to the advantage of a small group of South Africans.

The DA's involvement in government, the party cautions, may open the door for the privatisation of state-owned businesses and the outsourcing of vital services to the private sector, including energy and railroads.

The communist party stressed that the policies of the two parties (the African National Congress and the DA) were clashing and that the DA ones were accommodative to the black community.

The National Health Insurance (NHI) and the Basic Education Laws of Amendment (BELA) Act are some of the battles between the ANC and DA.

According to the SACP, these were some of the signs that the DA was not for the improvement of the black community.

"Our country needs large-scale public economic and social infrastructure development and maintenance, a thriving public economy, and a caring social policy. This should include decisive implementation of the NHI to ensure quality healthcare for all and a comprehensive social security system with a universal basic income grant," it said.

"In this regard, the battle for uncompromised holistic implementation of the BELA Act is as crucial as the battle for uncompromised holistic implementation of the NHI to intensify." 

Meanwhile, in response to its dissatisfaction with the ANC's decision to co-govern with the DA, the SACP announced that it would run independently in the 2026 local government elections.

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