SACP

• Formation

  • Emerged in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), serving as a beacon for Marxist-Leninist thought in the country.
• Objectives

  • Short-term: Annihilation of apartheid and racial capitalism.
• Objectives

  • Long-term: Birth of a socialist South Africa with worker control.
• Strategies

  • Promoted workers' strikes and labour movements.
• Strategies

  • Strategically aligned with the ANC, recognising the interconnectedness of racial and class struggles.
• Key Figures

  • Joe Slovo: A crucial leader in both the SACP and MK, pivotal in fostering the alliance between the two.
• Key Figures

  • Ruth First: A fearless journalist who used her pen as a weapon against apartheid until her assassination.
• Contributions

  • Ensured ideological depth to the anti-apartheid struggle.
• Contributions

  • Boosted the labour movement, emphasising the link between racial suppression and economic exploitation.
• Challenges and Opposition

  • Officially banned in 1950, leading to underground operations.
• Challenges and Opposition

  • SACP leaders and members often faced the brunt of state-led violence and arrests.