Johannesburg – The South African Communist Party (SACP) has taken a firm stance against including the Democratic Alliance (DA) in any Government of National Unity (GNU). This declaration was made by SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila during a media briefing on the outcomes of the May 2024 elections, with a specific focus on coalition arrangements.
Mapaila made it clear that the SACP would not support any coalition involving the DA. “We will not work with these forces, we will not support any idea to try and work with these forces,” he stated unequivocally, describing the DA as “anti-people forces.”
During his address, Mapaila emphasized the SACP’s preference for a coalition that would allow the African National Congress (ANC) to consolidate a minority government incorporating elements of a GNU, but strictly without the DA. “But this GNU should not include the DA… we support the minority government with GNU features without the role of DA-led forces. We are clear about our position on coalitions,” he reiterated.
Mapaila also voiced opposition to forming a coalition with the MKP, citing the party’s roots in factionalism, state capture corruption, and resistance to accountability, as highlighted by the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and related Constitutional Court judgments.
Reflecting on the electoral results, Mapaila urged the SACP to learn from the people’s choices and to reassess their strategies. “The SACP will defend working-class interests across the board and consider the way forward nationally and in provinces where the ANC, although remaining the largest party by electoral support, did not secure the 50 plus one percentage required to form a majority government,” he concluded.