MBOMBELA – Given the current hostility between the provincial ANC and SACP, this weekend’s provincial alliance summit was bound to be fractious. However, the two held a united front.
Following months of strife and public spats between the ruling party and its alliance partner, the two parties, along with Cosatu and the South African National Civic Organisation, emerged from the Mpumalanga Alliance Summit with what they called a renewed undertaking to forge unity in the alliance ahead of the local government elections later this year.
Grapes have been sour for a long time between the ANC’s provincial chairman, Mr David Mabuza and SACP’s provincial secretary, Mr Bonakele Majuba. The situation was compounded by the continuous fallouts between the two sides the leaders represented.
A stand-off between SACP and ANC supporters also ensued at KaNyamazane during a Joe Slovo memorial lecture in January last year, where ANC stalwart,
Mr Mathews Phosa and Majuba were supposed to address them.
According to Majuba, unity was very important in the alliance and they were going to approach the local government elections with that in mind. “We believe we will work on the promises made during the summit, which is to strengthen the relationship within the alliance,” he said.
Majuba added that although the national leadership played a role in settling the disputes between them, the ball remained in their court to engage further on the issues.
“We promised that nothing is going to be swept under the rug, all issues will be dealt with. We will campaign together for the elections.”
Majuba added that the problems they had experienced included political killings and conflicts. He said the ANC leadership had at last engaged with it openly.
The bitter relationship was also triggered by the SACP’s call for Mabuza to step down as a result of what it called rampant corruption in government, which it said was perpetrated by tenderpreneurship.
For the first time in months, Majuba and Mabuza showed a united front in front of more than 250 alliance delegates. The alliance was attended by members of the ANC’s top five, deputy president, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa and treasury general, Mr Zweli Mkhize.
During his closing address at the summit, Ramaphosa said the resolutions taken at the 2009 alliance summit had not been implemented, but would be now. This included organisational renewal, internal democracy and discipline, unity and cohesion, ideological development and the battle of ideas.
He concluded with a message to opposition parties, “Watch out, the alliance partners are coming.” he said.
A joint summit on the economy is to be convened by June to develop a common response to the dismal economic climate.
