SACP, ANC meeting over Zuma cancelled

Zuma’s removal still on the agenda

The much-awaited bilateral meeting between the South African Communist Party and the ANC to confront President Jacob Zuma was cancelled yesterday.

While there was no official communication that the meeting had been cancelled by late yesterday, Sowetan’s sister publication Business Day understands from senior sources that the meeting was cancelled due to a lack of preparation for the gathering.

The ANC has long been stalling on meeting its allies, the SACP and the Congress of SA Trade Unions, also postponing a long-awaited political council.

The key meeting between the allies follows months of tension between the two after the SACP called on Zuma to step down and has been increasingly critical of his administration.

Cosatu has also called on Zuma to step down and had also pulled out of a bilateral with the ANC in June.

The postponements and cancellations are further evidence of the strained relations in the tripartite alliance, which is at an all-time low.

The SACP had first raised concern over state capture as early as 2014 and has been a key player in the fight against it. It had also participated in protests against Zuma and criticised the ANC for not moving to discipline its MPs who spoke out against him in the wake of the motion of no confidence. The vote in that motion on August 8 saw over 34 ANC MPs vote in favour of Zuma’s removal.

The SACP was meant to use the bilateral meeting to formally inform the ANC of its decision to develop a road map to contest elections independently from his long-time ally. It was also meant to explain its decision to call on Zuma to step aside.

Ordinarily, a team was required to put together an agenda for the meeting to assist both sides to prepare for the gathering, but this was not done ahead of yesterday’s bilateral which was requested by the SACP.

The meeting was cancelled and not postponed, but insiders said this did not mean it would not take place.

The parties did not respond to requests for comment by the time of going to press.

/SUMAYA HISHAM / REUTERS The cancellation of bilateral meeting is further evidence of strained relations in the alliance over Zuma.