SACP Western Cape secretary Benson Ngqentsu says he regards his removal from the provincial legislature as a badge of honour.
South African Communist Party (SACP) Western Cape secretary Benson Ngqentsu says his removal from the Western Cape Provincial Legislature by the African National Congress (ANC) did not come as a surprise.
Ngqentsu served in the legislature as part of the ANC-SACP alliance. His removal comes amid growing tensions between the two parties after the SACP decided to contest the 4 November local government elections independently.
The SACP is part of the tripartite alliance with the African National Congress (ANC) and Congress of the Trade Unions (Cosatu) and has consistently campaigned for the former ruling party in national and local elections. However, in December 2024, the organisation confirmed that it would contest the 2026 local government elections independently.
In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Ngqentsu said other SACP members had already been removed from political positions in parts of the Western Cape, particularly in the Garden Route.
He said if his removal, as well as the removal of councillors in Knysna and Overberg, was because of their convictions and commitment to the class struggle, they would regard it as “a badge of honour”.
“If deployment in these levers of power is part of the patronage scheme, we have no problem with that. But if it’s based on our loyalty and commitment to the ideas, then we must be judged based on our service and commitment to the people,” he said.
LGE 2026 | SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila says the party will use its election campaign to mobilise workers and also to fight corruption and crime. pic.twitter.com/4OKz7LT4Lc
— SABC News (@SABCNews)
August 30, 2026
Meanwhile, the SACP says its preparations for the 4 November local government elections are on track.
The party has decided to contest the elections independently from the ANC, ending its traditional electoral arrangement within the tripartite alliance at local government level.
At the weekend, SACP secretary-general Solly Mapaila said the party’s campaign was not an electoral exercise for its own sake, but a new front in the class struggle.
“The SACP will use the electoral campaign to organise workers and poor communities, fight corruption and crime, strengthen democratic participation and build organisational foundations of a broader left and socialist movement,” he said.
