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SACP will not contest elections outside of the tripartite alliance

The South African Communist Party (SACP) said that it will be supporting the African National Congress (ANC) to win the coming elections, on condition that the ANC runs a pro-poor agenda.

The SACP said that it is pleased so far with efforts by the ANC to try re-build itself, but cautioned it that those efforts should also be placed to reconfiguring the tripartite alliance.

This in contrast to the party's resolutions at its national congress in July 2017, where it was resolved that it will be contesting elections alone, away from the alliance.

The alliance include the ANC, SACP and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).

READ: SACP resolves to contest elections

The communists have, however, done good on its threat on standing for elections outside of the tripartite at the Metsimaholo local municipality. The party won three seats during by-elections in December 2017.

Through coalition, the communist deployed Lindiwe Tshongwe to be mayor.

READ MORE: SACP governs its first municipality

On Sunday, speaking at the party's commemoration to its first chairperson, Joe Slovo, secretary general Blade Nzimande said that the reconfiguration of the alliance and a resounding ANC electoral victory, there must be clarity that "unless the movement (ANC) purposely acts to unite itself, we would not be able to drive a second, more radical phase of our democratic revolution".

"Of even fundamental importance is the need to unite and strengthen the alliance. However, the alliance cannot be strengthened unless it is reconfigured to deal with all the regressive tendencies in our movement...and selflessly serve our people wholeheartedly," said Nzimande.

He urged those present to emulate the "good leadership example of Joe Slovo", and selflessly and wholeheartedly serve the people.

Slovo, who was the party's long-serving leader, died in 1995 after a long battle with cancer.

Nzimande accuses EFF, BLF of racial chauvinism

In his speech, Nzimande also accused the Black First Land First (BLF) party and the EFF of racial chauvinism, and did not spare lobby group AfriForum, and accused it of using the courts to try to defend white racial privileges and to frustrate transformation.

"Failure to meaningfully transform the colonial growth path in our economy reproduces deeply embedded racism and newer forms of racial chauvinism as expressed by organisations such as the BLF, which represents some of the most backward forms of racial chauvinism, and to a certain extent the EFF as well," Nzimande spewed.

Nzimande had at the same time, applauded ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa for "his role in cleaning up the ANC, and government entities".

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