SACP's decision to contest elections is the boldest move in our politics today

In a political environment plagued by stagnation, disillusionment and widening inequality, the SACP's decision to contest elections independently is not just bold, it's historic.

- Thokozani S'Bongiseni Magwaza

For decades, the SACP has operated within the tripartite alliance, mostly in the shadows of the ANC, paralysed by caution and confined to a role of symbolic influence rather than genuine power. Its voice, once militant, revolutionary and people-centred, was too often muffled by alliance politics and the burden of compromise.

This paralysis, what psychologist Martin Seligman terms “learned helplessness”, saw the party trapped in a cycle of internal hesitation and external irrelevance.

Learned helplessness refers to a psychological condition where individuals, after repeated exposure to uncontrollable negative situations, begin to believe that they are powerless even when opportunities for change exist.

This concept applies not only to individuals but to institutions too.

The SACP, for years, embodied that dynamic: convinced that stepping out of the alliance would result in political oblivion, it settled for ideological foot-notes instead of direct influence.

But the resolution adopted at its special congress in December 2024 marks a break from that cycle.

At last, the SACP is confronting its fear of the unknown and stepping into the light. It is choosing to act instead of waiting. It is embracing uncertainty rather than remaining shackled to predictability.