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With less than nine days remaining until the historic national and provincial elections, which also mark three decades since South Africa’s democratic breakthrough, the campaign to defend our National Democratic Revolution (NDR) has entered its final stages. 

As we prepare for a decisive victory of the African National Congress (ANC)-headed people’s revolutionary movement, the South African Communist Party (SACP) in Gauteng Province enthusiastically welcomes the deployment of national leaders from various components of the movement to our province.

Gauteng remains a strategic hub for our revolution, and its defence is a priority of national and international historical significance. It is primarily on this basis that we welcome the deployment of national leaders to strengthen and reinforce the election campaign this week, leading up to the Siyanqoba rally on 25 May 2024, at FNB Stadium.

As the SACP in Gauteng, we strongly believe that the decision to deploy national leaders of the ANC, SACP, COSATU, and SANCO to the province will undoubtedly consolidate a decisive electoral victory for the ANC on 29 May 2024, both nationally and, most importantly, in this province.

We remain resolute that, given the unique historical and concrete conditions of South Africa, the unity of the revolutionary alliance is the only decisive and capable revolutionary force for leading all the people, principally the working class, to a resounding ANC election victory in the best interest of the country and its economic hub.

Furthermore, we are convinced more than ever that only the unity of the revolutionary alliance will guarantee national unity against political parties founded on hatred of various kinds, such as race, ethnicity, xenophobia, and other forms of divisive and narrow nationalist conservative tendencies. 

A clear manifestation of this backward and primitive conduct has been displayed by the Democratic Alliance (DA), an apartheid relic, that has employed racist tactics such as burning the national flag. The flag is the foremost national heritage and symbol of our hard-earned and thoroughgoing unity. This behaviour unequivocally vindicates our long-held stance that the DA is nothing but the last remaining vanguard of apartheid ideology. This, coupled with the recent racially toxic utterances spewed by DA leader John Steenhuisen, whom we have successfully reported to the SA Human Rights Commission and the National Assembly, further amplifies their racial bigotry and hatred.

We are convinced that the arrival of the national leaders will cement the ANC’s victory both nationally and in Gauteng, which many reliable polls are already predicting. The change in the mood of the electorate is informed by the material impact of the work of the ANC-led provincial government aimed at improving service delivery, such as combating crime and gender-based violence, launching the Nas’ipani job creation program for youth, rolling out transformers for energy relief, scrapping e-tolls to reduce living costs, and ensuring good governance as reflected in audit outcomes, among others. The ANC victory is certain, given the dismal failure of the DA-led coalition of political parties, which has led to their removal in Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg and the unprecedented collapse of governance in Tshwane.

We are convinced that this deployment will also result in the unity on the ground, a crucial aspect in defeating counter-revolutionary forces such as flag-burners, will be sustained beyond the elections. We implore the national leadership to focus on inter alia service delivery in the Gauteng Provincial Government and local government post elections through similar deployment that ought to be regular to ensure continued progress and accountability.

This deployment and visit serve as a best practice and benchmark, laying a solid foundation and providing practical experience for the reconfiguration of the alliance. This, in our view, will enhance the quality of life for the people and strengthen national unity.

Finally, we call on the working class and workers to attend the Siyanqoba rally in full force and vote for the ANC to defend Gauteng Province from the already unleashed nefarious actions, such as the burning of the national flag, chaos in the City of Tshwane, and the general anarchy of DA-led coalitions.

We are now more convinced than ever before that victory is certain in Gauteng, and the people will defend democracy by voting for the ANC.

Issued by the South African Communist Party, Gauteng Province.