South African Communist Party

SACP Augmented Central Committee Statement

Sunday 30 November 2025:- The South African Communist Party (SACP) convened its Augmented Central Committee (ACC) at Birchwood Hotel Boksburg from 28 – 30 November 2025. The ACC assessed the implementation of the SACP annual programme of action and resolutions of the 15^th National Congress and the 5^th Special National Congress.

The ACC is an expanded forum of the Central Committee constituted by various SACP structures, including those structures with more direct contact with the community at the lower levels – at district level and extra delegations from the provinces and our Young Communist League of South Africa.

The ACC performed a comprehensive analysis of the political, ideological and organisational condition of the SACP relative to the challenges faced by the working class, its primary constituency. As a revolutionary party of the working class, we conduct concrete analysis of the living conditions of the working class and formulate our activities and plans to respond to these issues, based on the political and economic conditions of the working class as the leading social motive force of our struggle for socialism, enhancing the struggle to end exploitation and poverty in society. The ACC adopted a work plan for the year 2026.

SACP resolutions and implementation

The ACC acknowledged and collectively affirmed the principle that resolutions of SACP constitutional structures, especially congresses, are sacrosanct, and cannot be bargained with. They reflect the objective will of the SACP broad membership in response to the demands and aspirations of the working class and are canvassed widely in the run up to these congresses through discussions across our structures and cannot be replaced by those empowered to implement them.  

The ACC affirmed the importance of unity of purpose in the SACP and committed to defend it vigorously.

The objective of the SACP to build and maintain organisational and political unity is cultivated through concrete political action to build people’s power and consolidate a massive movement of the working class and the poor to deepen a second more radical democratic breakthrough to benefit the excluded majority from the economy and social rights. We recognise that to build working-class power requires collective discipline and determination to carry out the work of the Party by respecting its democratically determined decisions and strategies and committing to realising them through conscious and determined action.

In this context, the ACC took a dim view of, and called to order, those members breaching this framework of discipline by reopening issues, albeit in the name of debates, which have already been concluded and at implementation phase. The ACC called for iron discipline of its members as we confront perhaps the most gruelling period ahead in the struggles of the working class compounded by the rising arrogance from capital, our principal enemy.

The ACC reaffirmed the standing decision of the SACP to contest the 2026 local government elections independently as one of its important decisions and adopted the accelerated implementation plan.

The strategic perspective of our electoral programme is to enter the local government sphere of government and to deepen and expand the representation of the working class in local government and the state more widely.

In that context, the SACP calls on all its members to work together to realise our electoral objectives while working with our communities on a continuous basis to confront the challenges facing the people.

As part of organisational revitalisation measures, the ACC received and affirmed the decision of the Politburo to disband the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) of Moses Mabhida Province of the SACP (KZN) and put in place a provincial interim leadership (PILC) core to rebuild our structures and prepare for elections.

The ACC expressed its confidence in the appointed interim leadership core of the province, whose task is to lead the province and make preparations for the election of a new PEC. The Moses Mabhida Province has historically been one of the key provinces in the work of the SACP and continues to be critical to the vision of the Party to reposition itself in the political ecosystem of South Africa. The ACC acknowledged a submitted appeal by the former leaders of Moses Mabhida Province and advised that they be granted audience while the PILC as led by Comrade Sikhumbuzo Mdlalose and Comrade Zakhele Cele continues to perform all its tasks as appointed and confirmed by the ACC.

The officials of the Party will continue to provide overall guidance to members of the Party in Moses Mabhida Province and work with the PILC to ensure the restoration of a fully functional SACP in the Moses Mabhida province.

People’s Red Caravan (PRC)

The SACP has driven the People’s Red Caravan as our key programme to work with communities to fight hunger and drive development from the grassroots and to build self-reliance. We have already held three key projects as part of the People’s Red Caravan programme in three provinces at different intervals, stationed in Motlhabe Village in North West in May, Matibidi Village in Mpumalanga in July, and Mqhekezweni Village in the Eastern Cape in October.

The People’s Red Caravan is the flagship programme of the SACP aimed at empowering communities to solve their problems and build solidarity as opposed to waiting for service delivery. We will do the last for the year in Ganspan in the Northern Cape province. We call upon the citizens of South Africa to join and contribute to the Red Caravan, and we specifically call on skilled professionals to join us and lend their expertise to a worthy, developmental and indeed revolutionary cause.

State of the national democratic revolution and the Alliance

The national democratic revolution (NDR) is not only under threat from the political grip of the bourgeoisie but is also facing possible defeat as a consequence of the collaborationist tendencies undermining our collective leadership of the NDR, for instance the adoption of a new economic policy without collective discussions at least from among the organisations of the revolutionary alliance.

The dominance of this agenda manifests in the conversion of the ANC leadership structures, the National Executive Committee in particular, into a rubber-stamping platform for neo-liberal policies and anti-transformation agendas determined outside of the ANC and outside of the Alliance more broadly. The endorsement of the GAIN policy is evidence of this reality.

This political integration of the conservative, neo-liberal political strands into the work of the liberation movement represents the weakening of the NDR. The ACC emphasised the urgent task of the communists to defend the NDR and its radical content from dilution by conservative political forces. This task is not only critical but is also urgent given the changing balance of forces from an elections point of view.

The SACP reaffirms its stance that it contests the elections not to abandon the Alliance, but to restore working-class initiative, halt electoral decline and strengthen the strategic coherence of the movement. The victimisation of SACP members by certain elements in the ANC is unacceptable and must stop.

The ACC restated the necessity of building a principled, programmatic and working-class-led Alliance capable of driving a second, more radical and deeper democratic breakthrough that addresses, amongst others, the fundamental question of property relations, especially land.

Workers’ victory on Community healthcare workers

The ACC welcomed the recent victory of the National Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) on permanent employment of community health care workers. The SACP extends its congratulations to NEHAWU for securing permanent employment for 27,000 community health care workers by government through the department of health.

These workers have endured precarious employment, ongoing job insecurity, and exploitation in various forms by their employer for over a decade.

Despite this victory, the health care unions, with NEHAWU playing a leading role, continue to negotiate with the department of health to absorb additional health care workers into the system. Upon successful negotiation, the health care system will employ over 40,000 community health care workers on a permanent basis. This is a remarkable feat of achievement and shows workers that success comes through deepening class struggles including using the courts as a last resort.

Economic Policy, “GAIN” and deepening neo-liberalism

There is emerging contradiction between the consolidation and doubling down on neo-liberal policies of fiscal austerity (dubbed “fiscal consolidation”) and “structural reform” (liberalisation and privatisation of ‘network industries” by stealth) by the ANC-led coalition government and perspectives outlined in the Base Document prepared for the ANC’s National General Council (NGC) next month.

The Political Bureau has already issued a detailed critique of government’s still unpublicised Growth and Inclusion (GAIN) document which we have dubbed “same aGAIN”. This has now been consolidated into a so-called 10 Point Plan.

In essence, “same aGAIN” re-affirms the central strategic thrust of the two pillars of “fiscal consolidation” and “structural reform”, arguing that the poor growth performance to date has been due to “a weak implementation record”. Specifically, the document argues that Operation Vulindlela has identified the “right reforms”, but that implementation has been too slow, that regulatory barriers are too high and that several sectors were overregulated, and that there is consequently an urgent need to create a more “investment friendly” environment.

To this end, “same aGAIN” repackages and proposes accelerated time frames for the introduction of key neo-liberal “reforms”. They include:

• A “big-bang” approach to liberalisation of network industries (energy, logistics, water, and housing) – including completing the restructuring of Eskom and establishment of a competitive wholesale electricity market by April 2026, and the enabling of private sector (profit seeking) entities involvement in the provision and management of water infrastructure by September 2026.⁠
• Fiscal consolidation to reduce debt and attract private investment.⁠
• Labour-market shifts toward private-sector employment through deregulation.
• ⁠The “linking” of the provision of SRD grants to “productive activity” – details to be announced in February 2026 budget.

The Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) tabled on 12 November took a further step in the march in this direction. Its main content was a proposal to stabilise the debt to GDP ratio by cutting non-debt public expenditure by an average of 0.71 per cent in constant prices over the next three years. The MTBPS also signalled government’s intention to lower the inflation target from its current 3 – 6 per cent to 3 per cent with a tolerance of 1 per cent either side. This target is the mandate to which the South African Reserve Bank is required to respond using interest rate policy.

The SACP believes that the tightening of the inflation target is likely to lead to higher interest rates (actual rises or lesser cuts) and that this will further constrain productive sector activity in an already stagnant economy, which the MTBPS itself forecasts will not grow by more than 1.2 per cent next year. Higher interest rates will also add to the cost-of-living crisis confronting the working people, the poor and even much of the middle class. In this regard, it is noteworthy that a paper recently published by members of staff of that pinnacle of neo-liberal fundamentalism, the IMF, concluded that there is no evidence that neo-liberal inflation targeting actually reduces the cost of living. Based on a comparison of countries following inflation targeting and those that do not, it found no appreciable difference in inflation outcomes. The only real difference was that those with inflation targeting had higher interest rates.

It is against that background that the political economy sections of the ANC’s NGC “Base Document” offer a welcome and progressive critique of both the content and impact of government economic policy over the past 30+ years.

Much of the diagnosis in the Base Document overlaps with several recent SACP resolutions and statements. The Base Document thus acknowledges that there has been "regression in poverty reduction”, that "South Africa remains the most unequal country in the world by income", and that unemployment has remained stubbornly high. On inequality, it notes that while extreme levels of inequality in South Africa have persisted, Brazil, starting from a similar base, has made significant progress in reducing its own levels of inequality.

The Base Document attributes the lack of progress in addressing the “triple challenges” to, inter alia:

• The prioritisation of macro-economic stability over transformation and the interpretation of macro-economic stability as requiring narrow fiscal consolidation and inflation targeting. This, it suggests, has led to austerity budgeting and under resourcing of key developmental and poverty reduction programmes.
• The financialisation of the South African economy. The document points to the fact that fund managers control assets equivalent to 33.3 per cent of the country’s GDP and that these funds are not invested to any significant extent in productive activities in South Africa.
• The disabling of State-Owned Enterprises, in part by corruption and state capture and partly through the adoption of models such as “new public management” predicated on notions of reducing the role of the state in the economy through liberalisation and privatisation.

Underlying all of this, the Base Document argues, has been the embrace of neo-liberalism, “...especially [in defining] our economic development path and the organisation and orientation of the state". This, it suggests, began in the 1990s with a sense that “There is No Alternative” (Tina) to the globally dominant neo-liberal paradigm of deregulation, privatisation, austerity and a minimal economic role of the state.

Gambling

The ACC is deeply concerned by the proliferation of online gambling. According to published statistics, total gambling turnover in 2024/5 reached R1.5 trillion (equivalent to 17 per cent of the GDP). This represents a 36 per cent increase on the R1.1 trillion recorded in 2023/24. Two thirds of this emanates from online gambling, operating under a loophole in the National Gambling Act. About 40 per cent of working South Africans are reported to gamble frequently in the hope of covering expenditure needs or reducing debt. One in five involved in gambling admit to borrowing money to engage in it. A particular target of online gambling is young people, including NSFAS beneficiaries and SASSA grant recipients.

The fact is that online gambling has never been explicitly authorised under South African gambling legislation. Existing operations have taken advantage of a loophole in the law providing for online sports betting. This was intended to allow punters to bet on major sporting events such as horse racing by sending emails to bookmakers. Instead, it has been seized on by provincial gambling boards, led by the DA-run Western Cape, to authorise overseas operators to run online bets on sporting events all over the world, as well as progressively to extend their operations to include a variety of casino-type games.

The SACP calls for this scourge that allows external profiteers to prey on our communities to be decisively curtailed. We do not agree that this activity should be de facto legalised by formalising it. We do not therefore believe that proposals to tax this activity will alone be adequate. Instead, we call for the National Gambling Board to be transformed into a National Gambling Regulator capacitated to combat illegal gambling activity.

Licences granted to operations that reach way beyond the purpose and intention of the provisions of existing legislation should be cancelled. A clear message should be sent out that proceeds of illegal operations are illicit and that any winnings are illegal financial transactions. This would send out a strong message that would disincentivise participation.

Regulations prohibiting the use of publicly provided funds like NSFAS and SASSA funds would also be useful, and advertising and sponsorship should be curtailed.

Concession to US poultry

The government is planning to remove the concession made to US poultry producers allowing the import of defined quotas of poultry “bone in portions” (wings, legs and offal) described by the local industry as “spare parts”. This concession was made in 2015 as an inescapable price to remain eligible for AGOA non-reciprocal trade benefits. The legal document that granted these concessions, however, specifically stated that they “shall be suspended if any of the benefits that South Africa enjoyed under AGOA…are suspended”. With the de facto ending of AGOA at the end of September and the punitive tariffs imposed on South Africa, removing this concession – which has had a negative impact on the local poultry industry – is overdue and that the import of “AGOA chicken” should cease forthwith.

On the 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children and femicide

We join the women of our country in their important struggles for gender emancipation towards a non-sexist society. We call on our members and structures and the broader community of South Africa at large to be involved in the struggle for women emancipation and enhancing their freedom, which are human freedoms.

The SACP urges all men and boys to respect women and contribute towards a society free of gender-based violence and femicide.

International Solidarity

Venezuela

The ACC unequivocally condemns the persistent aggression of the Trump regime against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, its democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro Moros and Venezuelan institutions.

The US government has for the past two months openly threatened war against Venezuela and further escalated its aggression by positioning its largest warship threateningly in Caribbean waters, thereby placing not only Venezuela in grave danger but also the entire Caribbean region. The Trump has further declared Venezuelan airspace as a no-go-zone, indicating their intention to attack Venezuela

In addition to this alarming action, the US government and its military have resorted to murder by bombing the occupants of several fishing vessels, falsely accusing them of smuggling illegal drugs.

The claims of drug trafficking against these fishermen have been repeatedly debunked. This not only demonstrates acts of violence with impunity but also the inhumane nature of the US regime, which disregards the human rights of the people residing south of the US. As previously articulated, these baseless and utterly false accusations constitute nothing more than another justification of territorial expansion by the US in furtherance of its imperialist policies, disguised as a so-called “war on drugs.”

Furthermore, it is evident that the US military industrial complex necessitates the perpetration of another war to sustain its operations and procure financial benefits for its economic benefactors in the face of the failure of other industries to remain viable; especially so when considering the economic expansion of the People’s Republic of China in areas previously dominated by the US. We stand in solidarity with Venezuela and the Bolivarian revolution of Venezuela.  We call on all peace-loving people across the world to move into action to defend peace and national sovereignty and independence of Venezuela and condemn the attacks on Venezuela by the US administration.

Palestine

The ACC reaffirms its condemnation of the ongoing Israeli-led genocide in Palestine, which continues unabated despite the peace deal agreed upon. The recently negotiated ceasefire has been ineffective because of apartheid Israel’s continued violence against Palestinians. The so-called ceasefire is not a mechanism for peace and restoration of normality for Palestinians or meeting any of their justified demands but is rather a temporary reprieve to allow imperialist forces to grab land and reorganise the Palestinian territory for their economic and geopolitical advantage further relegating the objective of self-determination for Palestine further to the back.

The ceasefire is one of political machinations of Zionist Israel working with the West as led by the Trump administration in the US to further impede the agenda of a free Palestine. We call for an authentic peace process in Palestine whose foundation is the return of Palestinian lands that have been and continues to be usurped by Israel, and by ending the settler apartheid occupation of Palestine by Israel. We reaffirm our continued solidarity with the Palestinians and call for an end to continued violence on Palestinians by the Zionist apartheid regime of Israel.

Lebanon

The SACP further condemns the apartheid Israeli regime’s relentless attack on Lebanon and thus violating its national independence and sovereignty. We call upon world leaders to pressurise the Israeli regime to stop these attacks and to respect international law and abide by the United Nations Charter.

This re-modelling of the Middle East by apartheid Israeli state and the US must be rejected with the contempt it deserves. It is meant to create a permanent hegemonic presence and influence in the region and to obliterate the axis of resistance against imperialism. We remain committed to supporting the axis of resistance against imperialism and colonisation of the people of the Middle East. We know that the Trump administration will also come to an end.   

On South China provocations by the US imperialist regime

We equally condemn the intensified provocation of the People’s Republic of China by the US and its proxy the fascist Japan in the South China Sea and the Taiwanese straits.

We appreciate and commend the restrains of the Chinese leadership under these extreme provocations and are aware this may run thin given the intensified provocations. We welcomed the immense contribution of the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China in the new proposals for a multipolar world system through the global governance system. We hope these interventions will give impetus to the world especially for countries of the global south to renew their independence and national sovereignty and participate in the world community as independent countries.   

Russia

On the ongoing imperialism war against Russia, the ACC commended the Russian Federation for its immense contribution in holding the fort in that frontline war against imperialism. This war is about the independence for all sovereign states. Without Russian victory in this Special Military Operation, our independence and sovereignty will be threatened.

The geopolitical significance of Russia in our anti-imperialist struggle cannot be overstated just as the historic Russian contribution against fascism remains key to the formation of the present international relations framework. We pledge solidarity with Russia as it resists western imperialism and aggression through the proxy of a corrupt Ukrainian regime.

Cuba

The ACC called for the strengthening of South Africa and Cuba relations and affirmed our continued solidarity to the heroic Cuban people and the Cuban Revolution. We continue to stand against the illegal and criminal US blockade against Cuba that has been in place for more than sixty years. We pledge solidarity with the Cuban people having been victim to a hurricane in the recent time with devastating consequences.  

The SACP welcomes the resounding United Nations resolution calling upon the imperialist US government to unconditionally lift its illegal and criminal blockade on Cuba.

On 29 October 2025, the United Nations General Assembly once again voted overwhelmingly against the US blockade towards Cuba. This marked the 33^rd consecutive time the United Nations has expressed a strong opposition to the US government’s economic blockade against Cuba. We urge the South African government to deepen especially its economic relations with Cuba and in various fields. This collaboration will drive shared development for both countries and contribute to the prosperity of the Cuban people, whose sacrifices for our own liberation and the people of Africa is always appreciated. It is the heroic Cuban fighters who paid with their lives in defence of the African liberation agenda.

We therefore call for humanitarian assistance for the Cuban people post the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. We call for progressive entities and the alliance to be engaged in making contributions to Cuba in this instance.

Sudan

The SACP condemns the barbaric massacres and systematic violence unleashed by the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army against defenceless civilians in El Fasher, Bara, and other regions of Darfur and Kordofan in Sudan. These atrocities – summary executions, arbitrary detentions, looting, property destruction, and forced displacement are nothing short of war crimes and genocidal acts, as corroborated by United Nations reports, human rights organisations, and credible media. The SACP stands in unwavering solidarity with the Sudanese people, rejecting any attempt to justify or obscure these crimes against humanity.

The SACP supports all practical efforts by the Sudanese working class, peasantry, and revolutionary forces to unite in a resolute struggle to end the war and seize power from the reactionary regimes. The path of the December Revolution must be reclaimed to build a civil, democratic state that guarantees human rights, social justice, and the sovereignty of the Sudanese people. This struggle is inseparable from the global fight against capitalism and imperialism.

Western Sahara

The ACC expressed support for the ongoing struggle of the people of Western Sahara for national liberation and self-determination. The SACP condemns the proliferation of political groups in South Africa that side with the oppressors of the Saharawi people. The struggle in Western Sahara is legitimate and morally valid. As the SACP, we continue to pledge our unflinching solidarity with the people of Western Sahara. We condemn the recent United Nations Security Council resolution 2797/2025 which waters down the previous resolutions on self-determination of Western Sahara but promotes a one-sided perspective that promotes Morocco’s autonomy proposal, thereby suppressing the Saharawi cause. 

Swaziland

The SACP fully supports the ongoing struggle of the people of Swaziland against the monarchy and pledges our solidarity with the people of Swaziland. The struggle of the people of Swaziland is important for all the progressives in our region as it propels the agenda for democratisation of the SADC region. We continue to condemn the tinkhundla regime as undemocratic, corrupt and exploitative over the people of Swaziland.   

On the Conference of the Left

The ACC appreciated progress made on the process towards convening the Conference of the Left and commends political parties, trade unions, non-governmental organisations and intellectuals/academics that honoured our invitation and now participate in the established steering committee. We wish the steering committee more success and are looking forward to the convening of the conference of the left, possibly in the first part of 2026.

Condolences

In the year ending, as the SACP we have lost some of our comrades through death. They included Comrade Lawrance Pillay, a stalwart of the movement who supported the SACP to the end, Comrade Sunny Singh, a long-standing veteran of the movement, South African liberation stalwart Comrade Lorna Levy, Rev. Maphatsoe who was the chaplain of Umkhonto WeSizwe, Comrade Grace Chrissie Constable-Davies (wife to SACP Central Committee member Comrade Rob Davies) an activist in her own right. Comrade Madoda Sambatha, the Provincial Secretary of Moses Kotane Province (North West) lost some of his relatives in the recent time, including his sister.

We convey our heartfelt message of condolences to the families of the comrades who have died.

Festive Seasons greetings

We wish all our people a happy festive period full of love, peace and free of violence. As the working class celebrates this reprieve from intensive production and exploitation by capital to reconnect with their families, we call upon them to take extra care in  their travels and be considerate of others as they wish for themselves.