EFF and SACP form joint team to plan Conference of the Left

A joint working group between two of South Africa's biggest left-wing forces is now officially in motion ahead of a planned Conference of the Left.

EFF and SACP sit down in Johannesburg

• Julius Malema and SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila led their respective delegations to bilateral talks.
• Both sides acknowledged past friction but committed to rebuilding principled relations.
• Criticism among comrades got framed as healthy, not destructive.
• Neoliberal and right-wing political forces were identified as the shared enemy.

Joint task team and conference structure

• A working group with members from both parties will join a wider steering committee.
• SACP is driving the Conference of the Left initiative.
• Trade unions, NGOs, civil society groups, and individuals all get invited.
• Medium-term cooperation details and the conference agenda are being finalized.

Policy priorities on the table

• Energy sovereignty and fixing the power crisis top the shared agenda.
• A state bank, student debt cancellation, and worker insourcing are being pushed.
• Mineral beneficiation to extract more domestic value from resources got flagged.
• International solidarity with Cuba on energy shortages was discussed.

Why the timing matters politically

• SACP plans to contest the 2026 local elections independently from the ANC.
• A broader popular-left front could challenge the Government of National Unity.
• SACP, founded in 1921, brings deep anti-apartheid and underground-struggle credentials.
• EFF warned that progressive fragmentation only strengthens the political right.