SACP prepares to unveil its candidate councillors for local government elections in the Western Cape

The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Western Cape is preparing to reveal its candidate councillors ahead of the upcoming local government elections. Political parties and independent candidates have 11 days to submit their candidate lists and nomination documents to the Independent Electoral Commission. Benson Ngqentsu, the SACP provincial secretary, will unveil the candidates and present a manifesto in Cape Town on Sunday, marking the party's 105th anniversary.

The manifesto outlines six pillars aimed at revitalizing working-class representation in government. Ngqentsu stated that the SACP will contest all wards, particularly the strategic ones, in the 30 municipalities across the province. They have drawn their candidates from within SACP ranks, the trade union movement, and civil society groups.

Ngqentsu emphasized that the SACP would not bar ANC members from contesting under the SACP banner. The ANC in the Western Cape finalized its candidate list the weekend before, attending the process independently. The SACP's decision to contest the elections on its own is expected to further contribute to the decline in the ANC's performance in the upcoming elections.

Ngqentsu attributed the ANC's decline to the party's neoliberal policies, including austerity measures, which have led to higher unemployment, poverty, inequality, and the rise of precarity in various sectors of the economy. Political analyst Andre Duvenhage noted that the SACP's stance is a contradiction because they claim to stand independently while remaining part of the Tripartite Alliance.

He emphasized that the SACP's focus is on poverty, the ANC's multi-class organization, and the party's failure to exclusively serve the working class and poor.