Wednesday, 19 July 2023

A delegation from the South African Communist Party (SACP), led by General Secretary Solly Mapaila, held a significant meeting with the Chair of the Orlando Pirates Football Club, Dr Irvin Khoza. This meeting, which took place on Monday, 17July in Johannesburg, followed a call made by various organisations during Orlando Pirates’ recent pre-season Spain tour to withdraw from a scheduled match against Maccabi Tel Aviv from Israel on 13 July. The call was made in solidarity with the Palestinian people against land dispossession, occupation and associated oppression by the Israeli regime.

In response to the call, Orlando Pirates FC issued a public statement on 10 July, detailing reasons why the club believed it had to honour the friendly match within the framework of the FIFA protocol the match came about. Subsequently, the SACP issued a public reply on 11 July and requested the meeting to discuss the matter. Orlando Pirates has supporters not only in the rank-and-file membership of the SACP but also in the leadership of the Party at all levels, including General Secretaries. This dates back to the years of the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa.

The meeting engaged in a frank and constructive dialogue, drawing on our shared history and pivotal roles we played in the broader political struggle for liberation and professional football development, respectively, in seeking an inclusive society. In our unique way, we championed the ideals of non-racialism, both in our outlook and within our own ranks, and as a means to dismantle apartheid. These efforts carried significant consequences, against which we received solidarity from others. The consequences included the Communist Party’s ban by the apartheid regime and Orlando Pirates’ exclusion from using public sport infrastructure.

At the meeting, we both attached great importance to preserving the rich history of the values that we fostered in seeking emancipation and an inclusive society, one free from racial and other forms of unfair discrimination and oppression of one section or social group by another.

We have committed ourselves to prioritise regular and direct engagements to promote mutual understanding and strengthen fraternal relations, recognising the obligations inherent not only in our respective operating environments but also in our rich history of emancipatory legacy. This, we believe, will contribute to the overarching imperative of building a united society. Throughout this effort, we will respect each other’s independence, as a political party of the working class and a professional football club, among others to make informed decisions within our regulating universe, while also striving to contribute to the realisation of a just and peaceful world.

By fostering this effort, we aim to embody the spirit of inclusivity and sympathy with others, creating a positive impact beyond our individual realms. Together, we aspire to inspire change and progress, reflecting the aspirations of our members as well as the people at large and elsewhere in their pursuit of a society free from injustice, not least discrimination and oppression.