- Yunus Carrim of the Communist Party told Ixopo supporters that Zuma’s party is tribalist and wants traditional leaders in power.
- The Communist Party contests elections fully on its own for the first time, calling the vote a foundation for 2029.
A senior Communist Party figure has called Jacob Zuma’s party tribalist and said it wants to put South Africa back under the power of traditional leaders.
Yunus Carrim, who sits on the party’s Central Committee and Politburo, spoke to supporters at a campaign event in Ixopo ahead of the 4 November elections.
He said many people in the alliance led by the African National Congress no longer want to vote for it.
“It is also sad that if they had a choice they would choose the MKP, which is a tribalist party, which wants to take us back under power of traditional leaders, which is against what the Communist Party stands for. But comrades, despite the bad weather you came and went house to house, that is the greatest thing you have ever done. No matter what happens on 4 November, this is merely a start, and we cannot expect overnight that we will become victorious, comrades. But it is a start, it’s a foundation for 2029 and I think we are setting a very good foundation in this province,” Carrim said.
The Communist Party is fully contesting elections on its own for the first time, with more than 4,000 candidates. It has run in by-elections before.
The party has also reached out to traditional leaders. Its general secretary, Solly Mapaila, called traditional leaders a key constituency after the party met the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa last year.
Professor Mathole Motshekga of the Balobedu Royal Council has rejected the Communists’ view that African kingdoms are feudal.
He told Scrolla.Africa that African kingdoms are spiritual and that Karl Marx knew nothing about African traditional leadership.
Scrolla.Africa does not have a response from Zuma’s party.
