Latest news with #NomvulaMokonyane
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
ANC says it can't allow SACP members to sit in on election meetings as both parties to contest 2026 polls
JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) said it cannot allow members from the South African Communist Party (SACP) to sit in on its election meetings, as both organisations will be competing against each other. In 2024, the SACP resolved to contest the upcoming local government elections alone and no longer under the ANC banner. ALSO READ: SACP believes running for upcoming Limpopo by-election will be litmus test for 2026 polls Following that decision, the ANC and SACP announced that they would not be asking their members to give up their dual memberships as the alliance was still intact. However, at a recent election strategy session in Mpumalanga, ANC deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane allegedly kicked out SACP members. Speaking at an ANC event in Kliptown, Soweto on Thursday, Mokonyane said the party respected the decision of the SACP to contest alone. "We can't allow ourselves to be Zuma-fied, where you sit with people who are going to contest and target the same constituency as you, planning with you on how to make sure there is higher voter turnout, your candidate is the best candidate and most importantly, we win the coming elections. There is nothing untoward and we will continue doing it."
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Freedom Charter 70 years on: Land reform, wealth distribution still lagging, says ANC
JOHANNESBURG – The African National Congress (ANC) believes the democratic government has achieved the majority of ideals in the Freedom Charter, except for land reform and economic transformation. The African National Congress (ANC) has governed the country since the turn of democracy in 1994. On Thursday, the party is holding a commemorative event at the Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, Soweto, where the Freedom Charter was adopted during the Congress of the People 70 years ago. ALSO READ: * Some Kliptown residents say govt has fallen short of Freedom Charter ideals * Heritage sites associated with Freedom Charter neglected The Freedom Charter was drawn up as a blueprint for what a democratic South Africa should look like. A non-racial state, where everyone's vote counts and citizens share in the country's wealth. The ANC's deputy secretary general, Nomvula Mokonyane, says it has been partly achieved. 'We have touched every clause of the Freedom Charter, boldly we can say South Africans are the beneficiaries of all the clauses, albeit not everything has been touched. The most stubborn is the clause that talks about the economy and the sharing of the wealth.' Mokonyane says the country's land restitution programme has not been successful, which is why the Expropriation Act was recently signed into law.
eNCA
6 days ago
- Politics
- eNCA
ANC celebrates 70 years of the Freedom Charter
JOHANNESBURG - Seventy years on, and the Freedom Charter's toughest battles are still being fought. READ: 70 years of the Freedom Charter The ANC's First Deputy Secretary General, Nomvula Mokonyane, says the most stubborn clauses are those concerning wealth sharing and the contentious land issue. She made the comments during the 70th-anniversary event of the Freedom Charter. On that historic day in Kliptown, some 3,000 delegates from all political formations united to forge the Charter's powerful core principle: "South Africa belongs to all who live in it."
IOL News
7 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
SACP members chased out of ANC election workshop
ANC Deputy Secretary General Nomvula Mokonyane threw out SACP members at an ANC workshop recently. Image: Doctor Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers THE South African Communist Party (SACP) has launched an attack on its tripartite alliance ANC deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane, accusing her of chasing the communist party's members away during a recent elections workshop in Mpumalanga. During the workshop, aimed at strategising for the 2026 Local Government Elections, Mokonyane issued a directive, asking SACP delegates to leave, citing that the party would not strategise with a group intending to contest elections independently. The directive, according to sources, also angered some SACP leaders, who accused Mokonyane of also breaking the longstanding relationship the party has had with the ANC and Cosatu. SACP national Spokesperson Mbulelo Ndlazana confirmed the incident, stating that the party's decision to contest the local government elections independently is not a reflection of the political relationship between the two organisations. 'Certain members and leaders of the SACP were removed from an elections workshop in Mpumalanga. The SACP is aware of this action and has engaged the ANC about it,' Ndlazana said. He further stated that the alliance was not an election, and therefore, electoral contests do not determine the fate of the political relationship between alliance partner organisations. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ He blamed the ANC leadership in Mpumalanga for failing to address the matter before extending an invitation. 'The ANC local leadership committed an error by inviting the SACP into the workshop, given the fact that the SACP is contesting the elections independently. 'The fact that the SACP is contesting the local government elections independently and in its name means its election strategy and plans are internal to it, and this is true of the ANC as well,' Ndlazana said. The SACP has met all requirements to contest the elections, as confirmed by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). The ANC has criticised the SACP's decision, arguing that it could split the Alliance vote and benefit opposition parties. ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula previously questioned the theoretical basis for the SACP's decision, stating that if the communist party wants more influence, it can be resolved through discussions on deployment lists. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has backed the SACP's decision to contest the 2026 local government elections independently. In its secretariat report at its elective conference in Benoni, Ekurhuleni, the NUM called for the mobilisation of the 'popular front of the left' against the Government of National Unity (GNU). SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila said there was no turning back from forging ahead with their plans. 'I cannot reverse this decision; no one in the Communist Party can reverse this decision. It's a decision taken by Congress,' Mapaila said. Cape Times SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila insists that the party will contest the local government elections next year. Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
IOL News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Rifts in the Tripartite Alliance: ANC and SACP clash ahead of local elections
ANC Deputy Secretary General Nomvula Mokonyane threw out SACP members at an ANC workshop recently. Image: Doctor Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers Tensions within the Tripartite Alliance between the ANC, the South African Communist Party (SACP), and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) have come to the fore after an incident in Mpumalanga where SACP members were asked to leave an ANC election workshop. The workshop, aimed at strategising for the 2026 Local Government Elections, has exposed deepening divisions within the alliance. At the event, ANC Deputy Secretary-General Nomvula Mokonyane issued a directive, asking SACP delegates to leave the workshop, citing that the party would not strategise with a group intending to contest elections independently. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ This move has drawn criticism from senior SACP leaders, who accuse Mokonyane of divisiveness and of breaking the longstanding relationship between the parties. According to sources, the directive also angered some SACP leaders, and they have accused Mokonyane of also breaking the longstanding relationship the party has had with the ANC and Cosatu. Sources say there will be talks between the ANC and the SACP that will focus on what will happen to SACP members who were placed in top positions by the ANC, including SACP chairperson and Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Blade Nzimande. SACP national Spokesperson Mbulelo Ndlazana confirmed the incident, stating that the party's decision to contest the local government elections independently is not a reflection of the political relationship between the two organisations. 'Indeed, it is true that certain members and leaders of the SACP were removed from an elections workshop in Mpumalanga. The SACP is aware of this action and has engaged the ANC about it,' Ndlazana said. He further stated that the alliance was not an election, and therefore, electoral contests do not determine the fate of the political relationship between alliance partner organisations. He blamed the ANC leadership in Mpumalanga for failing to address the matter before extending an invitation. 'The ANC local leadership committed an error by inviting the SACP into the workshop, given the fact that the SACP is contesting the elections independently. 'The fact that the SACP is contesting the local government elections independently and in its name means its election strategy and plans are internal to it, and this is true of the ANC as well,' Ndlazana said. SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila insists that the party will contest the local government elections next year. Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers He further said it was normal that each organisation on this particular question worked separately because the two were running different election campaigns. 'This is related specifically to the election programme and not to the political relationship between the two organisations as we historically know it.' The SACP has met all requirements to contest the elections, as confirmed by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Cosatu Spokesperson Matthew Parks expressed concern over the growing rift, emphasising the importance of unity within the alliance. 'The unity of the Alliance is paramount to Cosatu. We are undertaking discussions with affiliates, members, and workers on Cosatu's approach to the local elections, more so in light of the SACP's congress resolution to contest state power,' Parks said. He also highlighted the need for the Alliance to be reconfigured to address challenges and ensure it remains the strategic centre for policy and political discourse. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has backed the SACP's decision to contest the 2026 local government elections independently. In its secretariat report at its elective conference in Benoni, Ekurhuleni, the NUM called for the mobilisation of the 'popular front of the left' against the Government of National Unity (GNU). The ANC has criticised the SACP's decision, arguing that it will split the Alliance vote and benefit opposition parties. ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula previously questioned the theoretical basis for the SACP's decision, stating that if the SACP wants more influence, it can be resolved through discussions on deployment lists. SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila reiterated the party's decision to contest the elections independently, stating that there is no turning back. 'The SACP is going to contest the local government elections; there's no turning back. I cannot reverse this decision; no one in the Communist Party can reverse this decision. It's a decision taken by Congress,' Mapaila said.
