SACP statement on its elections preparations for an ANC electoral victory

28 January 2009

On Monday the 26th January 2009, the SACP convened its Party Building Commission attended by about 100 participants, including Central Committee members, SACP Provincial Secretaries, and District Secretaries. The purpose of the meeting was to refine our election strategy, including the mobilization of all SACP structures for the election, in support for an overwhelming electoral victory of the ANC in the 2009 elections.

Key elements of the SACP's electoral strategy in support of the ANC as decided by the meeting include the following:

• Mobilisation of all SACP structures to mobilize for voter registration on 7-8 February 2009
• Full participation in all ANC election structures and programmes
• Working together with COSATU, to convene workers' Red Forums
• Convene community Red Forums throughout the length and breadth of our country
• To intensify door-to-door work, building upon our ongoing ‘Know Your Neighbourhood Campaign'
• Intensify our sectoral work, by engaging the many stakeholders and formations that we have been working together with in our many campaigns, in the financial sector, land and agrarian reform, health forums, including special focus on the co-operative movement
• Use the election campaign as a platform to take up the many challenges facing our people at local level, including mobilization for the formation of street committees to fight crime
• A dedicated team of cadres to support the electoral offensive of the ANC in the Western Cape

The meeting noted that this year's elections are indeed very important for the ANC led alliance if we are to defend the gains of our revolution. For years there have been attempts to weaken the electoral strength of the ANC by the counter-revolutionary forces in order to roll back a radical transformation of society. The latest maneuvers by the splinter group are nothing but a consolidation of this agenda.

It is in this context that we have witnessed a sustained attack on the leadership of our movement, including attempts to sow divisions amongst senior leaders of the ANC and SACP. We are aware that in the run up to the elections such desperate measures will intensify. The meeting strongly condemned the fabrication of media stories to try and discredit the SACP General Secretary. The meeting saw this as an attack on the SACP itself, and the SACP will intensify its engagement with its structures and the working class in general to expose this agenda for what it is. The SACP believes that this is essentially an anti-SACP and anti-working class agenda which is also aimed at defocusing our attention on the major task at hand, the election campaign.

The meeting also noted that sections of the bourgeois media are allowing themselves to be a useful tool, if not actively colluding, with some of these elements trying to weaken our Alliance. The behavior of sections of the mainstream media and the public broadcaster towards the ANC and the Alliance is further fuelled by its disappointment at the fact that their political darling, COPE, is clearly running out of steam, and its launch has become a damp squib.

The meeting also noted that South African mainstream media is likely to focus on these diversions rather than on the many important policy issues that require debate in the run up to the elections. It is therefore going to be important to intensify close contact with the voters in order to counter media sensationalism.

We call on our members not be distracted by this and that we keep focused on achieving an ANC overwhelming victory in the forthcoming elections!

The SACP is satisfied that it is now ready to hit the ground and mobilize for an overwhelming ANC electoral victory. This readiness has also been greatly facilitated by communist activities over the last few months in mobilizing a number of mass meetings and rallies as part of our Red October Campaign. SACP cadres have also been involved in the mobilization of voters in the number of by-elections currently underway.

Issued by the SACP

Contact:
Malesela Maleka

SACP Spokesperson – 082 226 1802