Conference on the Left under way without ANC representatives: Ntlantla Kgatlhane shares more

Ajouté : 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]ANC secretary general figalula has made it clear that the party will not be attending the conference of the left under the opaces of the SACP. Balula was speaking at the ANC Veterans League National Executive Committee meeting in Santin and north of Johannesburg earlier today.

[00:00:21]>> On the so-called conference of the left, corporate president allow me particular wait on what has been called the conference of the left. The movement raised the gathering before it through the wider crisis of left politics in the world. the defeat of the pink tied governments across Latin America, the difficulties of social democracy in Europe in the face of the resurgence of the far right and the strategic disorientation of the polyvarian left into that longer frame falls a particular convening at home. The so-called conference of the left in the movement's plain reading is an effort by convening forces and their allies to counter the ANC work in the present period and to assemble what they will present as credible left alternative to the movement.

[00:01:24]The naming of the contradiction by the convening forces is the contradiction of the ANC versus the left. The naming of the contradiction by the movement is the contradiction between the national democratic revolution which the movement leads and the forces of reaction and untransformed capital that the movement contests.

[00:01:49]The framings cannot be reconciled.

[00:01:52]For this reason, the ANC will not participate in the conference of the left and the movement does not concede to the theoretical ground to the convening forces. The movement is the broad national liberation front. The movement is the bearer of the strategic objective of the NDR. We do not need to be invited to a conference to remember who we are. We remember it every day.

[00:02:21]from the freedom charter of Klepto in 1955 to the strategy and tactics document of every national conference.

[00:02:31]>> And now for an update on the conference.

[00:02:34]We are now joined by SABC news politics reporter and Khatlan and he joins us live from Boxburg. And now maybe let's start off here. Of course, we saw the conference kicking off today with those involved. Of course, uh speaking uh to those uh who are attending this conference. What does the SACP make of the fact that the ANC has snubbed this conference?

[00:03:01]>> Yes. Well, indeed, B coming to you right here from Beoot Hotel in Boxburg where the conference of the left is taking place. Obviously we know that this conference it's a brainchild of the SACP with various organization and yesterday rather uh there was a press briefing where the SACP did react to the ANC rejecting you know saying that it won't attend this conversation saying that it's a missed opportunity and those sentiments were shared by other organizations saying that you know ANC as the leader of society if there's a platform that they needed to be at was this kind saying that there's a lot of issues that needed to be discussed don't need to be friends you don't need to agree upon everything but debate issues and tried you know to find larious occasions so pretty much the discussions were around you know the also uh refusing to join in but also one thing that came out Bali is that uh um this from this conference there won't be a new political party and amongst the other issues that are going to be discussed here obviously will be uh the fragmentation of you know various of political parties or black votes black parties but with me I'm with spokesperson of MK party who's just going to talk to us with regards to the party being here thank you so much uh Mr. Masangu I guess just in a nutshell what are you hoping this conference will achieve as the official position?

[00:04:40]>> Well good evening to you and your viewers. Um the position of MK parties that we are very glad uh about the conference. We are of course attendees um as any other party. But I want to convey that uh the SACP convened this as a brainchild but the SACP is not leading us in the discussion. This is a collective uh rebuild. It's a collective order. All of the parties are here together. We of course here uh as we describe it a conference of equals. Uh the steering committee was of every party. So it is their brainchild but the execution has been every party invited.

[00:05:25]Uh we are here because we fundamentally are the majority party of the left. We are the off official opposition in our parliament but we are left in leaning and left in thinking. So we join many other parties such as the EFF and others who are left. And uh it was in 2017 in January that President Zuma called for the unity of all parties. Not just unity of ideology but that we must vote in unison. We must consider that the left needs to exist. But not just exist the the the left needs to vote together. Uh we need a one super party that will be black and to the left. So we believe in this initiative. This is of course the first days of the left parties. Uh the SACP was of course an alliance partner of the ANC. They've broken away from that. But uh we consider that this left block can grow. Um and so we are here.

[00:06:24]We're excited about it. Uh we mustn't just be left in thinking. We must be left in doing. Our agenda must be left.

[00:06:31]Uh that will of course depend on how we activate our branches and our voters moving forward. But certainly we as MK party believe that the left ideology is possible. Certainly we believe that we are the majority. We must exercise that majority in the constitutional reform.

[00:06:50]We believe in amendment of section 25 of the constitution. We believe of course that this constitution is the constitution of the Roman Dutch law and for that matter it needs amendment so that the left can properly grow.

[00:07:04]>> Another issue that you know a lot of parties talked about was the recent spikes of protest immigration protest your view with regards to you know um that especially with fears that there might be violent I mean we've seen some looting happening. Well, these uh these protests we see were always going to happen because they are protests of poverty and they are pro protests of need. Uh significantly, South Africa has got an influx of illegal foreign nationals. While MK party doesn't have a problem with legal immigrations, illegal immigration is a challenge to this to this republic and it is of course the failure of the NC. We've got poorest borders, more than poorest in this country, undocumented. The NC government cannot tell you the number of foreign nationals in the country. They don't know. They don't even know how many Nigerians or Ghanaians or Zambians or or Zimbabweans are here in this country right now. That's how bad the situation is. They can't account for how many have entered, how many have left. So, of course, there are protests, many of them by the organization March and March uh and others. But of course this is where the left is needed to to communicate the message of the left to say we believe in panafricanism but certainly under the rule of government. The the failure of the NC is portrayed in that it even gave the NC even gave home affairs to the DA.

[00:08:32]They dumped this problem on the day which is also failing at the level of home affairs to address the immigration challenges. And I think the left parties must Ghana uh together and try and find solutions. But ultimately of course it lies with the voter uh in order to elect us uh to govern these entities such as the the department of home affairs so that we can bring back the rule of law.

[00:08:54]So whilst we believe in Africanism and the unity of of Africa, the unity of the continent, we maintain that it must be done within the confines of the law. Uh the last one before I let you go. Uh I guess just for you to react quickly just in 20 seconds with regards to your chief whip appear in court facing uh fraud and corruption charges. Well, she has appeared in court. Um our national officials are in consultation uh with her and the the head of the party president Zuma on the steps that will be taken or should be taken. Uh we maintain that of course according to uh the Republic of of South Africa's constitution one is innocent until proven guilty. Uh we have seen the the media reports concerning that. We can confirm that she she did appear in court. It's a matter that we are engaged in uh very very deeply. uh she will make a representation to the party where in the next few days I believe perhaps uh in the afternoon of Monday the party may make a a determination on the steps that will be taken but the parties of course seized with the matter uh and we'll communicate uh our findings thereof >> well thank you so much that was langu spokesperson of the MK party another party that is also you know taking part here in the conference of the left. You heard what he said that they believe in this idea because of the call from the party leader who said that he believed that you know black parties should come together and that's the only way South Africa can become you know in terms of how they said a better country.