LETTER: Solly Mapaila is best choice for SACP

Solly Mapaila’s election as SACP general secretary is breath of fresh air in SA politics. He is known to be a true believer in the emancipation of the working class, and this will make him gain respect from the left.

With the current political climate and economic crisis the country is facing, we need leaders who will lead campaigns against developments that seek to undermine the prospect of the economic emancipation of the poor. Mapaila must make his mark by focusing on exactly that, and not harbour ambitions involving blue light convoys.

The left movement in SA is currently weak. Union federation Cosatu is no longer taken seriously, and socialist parties in the country are almost nonexistent. It is only the SACP that still has a sober voice in the politics of the country, but this voice needs to be louder if it is to be heard.

The working class will be making a mistake by following parties that claim to represent the poor, parties that sing about Marxism while their leaders are living large at the expense of the poor. The SACP is known to be a campaigning party, and Mapaila is the right candidate to lead these campaigns.

The costs of living as the result of growing inflation is taking its toll on all of us, and this is an opportune moment for the new SACP general secretary to make his mark.

Tom Mhlanga, Braamfontein

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