Collen Malatji, leader of the ANC Youth League, has taken a hard stance against fiery SA Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Solly Mapaila, telling him to stop hiding behind the ANC and remove SACP deployees from the government of national unity (GNU) if he disagrees with it.
“He must urgently withdraw all their deployees because you can’t say that we are a GNU of sellouts when your national chair is there within the GNU,” he said.
“Then, it lacks a bit of consistency.”
During a media briefing on Tuesday, Malatji questioned Mapaila’s criticism of the African National Congress, noting that the SACP has representatives in the GNU.
He claimed Mapaila’s statements were only a populist stance.
This comes after Mapaila criticized and questioned the ANC’s choice to join the GNU. He accused the ANC of betraying the country.
Fikile Mbalula, the ANC secretary-general, reacted strongly to Mapaila’s words over the weekend.
Mbalula stated that it was fine for Mapaila to hold a different opinion on GNU, but calling them names was rude.
The SACP’s national chairperson, Blade Nzimande, and deputy general secretary general, David Masondo, are both members of the GNU.
Nzimande is the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, and Masondo is the Deputy Finance Minister.
According to Malatji, the youth league is actively following the GNU’s progress, which is thus far stable.
Malatji contended that if Mapaila sees the GNU as a sell-out structure, SACP members should be recalled.
“But the Solly Mapaila we know, that is a product of the Youth League and COSAS and many other structures of the movement, he is brave. We know that it’s either he will agree with the ANC on the GNU work, or will immediately withdraw those that are from the party who are in the GNU so that we’re seeing action,” Malatji said.
“Then later on, he must set up structures to contest elections on his own and stop being under the skirt of the ANC.”
According to Malatji, the SACP must form its structures if they believe they are solid enough to with the elections.
