South Africa’s progressive forces are converging. On May 29, 2026, a diverse array of socialist, communist, and Pan-Africanist organizations converged for the “Conference of the Left.” The meeting was held under a definitive mandate of “Building a Left Movement for Working Class & Popular Power.” At a moment marked by deepening economic crisis, unemployment, austerity, and fragmentation within progressive politics, the gathering reflects an attempt to rethink the future of left politics in the country.
The conference, organized by the South African Communist Party (SACP) has brought together an distinctly broad spectrum of organizations, including the Economic Freedom Fighters, Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, Azanian People’s Organization, Mkhonto we Sizwe Party, the Socialist Party of Azania, Workers’ Socialist Party, Independent Labour Party, the country’s key trade union federations, as well as Marxist and Pan-Africanist formations. Guests and solidarity delegates from various countries have also attended, rallying on the prospects of left unity in South Africa.
What makes the conference politically important is not simply the attendance of these organizations, many of which have historically operated in isolation or in competition, but the recognition that the social and economic conditions facing the working class can no longer be addressed through fragmented struggles.
In a pre-conference statement, organizers argued that the crisis confronting workers and the poor is not temporary but structural. South Africa continues to face mass unemployment, rising living costs, deteriorating public services, and widening inequality, despite the democratic transition of 1994. According to the statement, political freedom has not translated into material transformation for the majority, while the economy remains dominated by private accumulation and corporate power.
They further noted that global capitalism has reorganized itself in ways that have weakened organized labor. Informalization, precarious work, and attacks on trade unions have undermined working-class power, while progressive movements remain divided across parties, unions, and community organizations. The conference therefore sees itself as an attempt to rebuild a common forum through which left organizations can coordinate around shared working-class objectives.
A call for working-class unity
Opening the conference, Solly Mapaila pointed out that the gathering was a platform for collective action.
“We are different political organizations, we are not going to dissolve our independent political organizations, we are creating a platform of common coordination of the working-class agenda.”
Mapaila argued that the material conditions facing ordinary South Africans should form the basis of left unity rather than personal ambitions or organizational rivalries.
“We are seeking to deepen the unity of the working class, to revitalize working class activism and indeed articulate a medium-term agenda based on the objective demands of the working class in our country.”
He further urged humility and mutual respect among progressive forces, acknowledging that no single organization possesses all the solutions.
“We must humble ourselves as forces of the left to recognize that none of us has the monopoly of answers to the struggle of the working class. Therefore, we must treat each other with respect, humility and understanding.”
Next, was Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, he situated the gathering within what he described as a global crisis of capitalism.
“This conference convenes at a decisive historical moment characterized by economic instability, political uncertainty, and the visible confusion of the global capitalist order itself.”
Malema highlighted the absurd contradictions of modern society.
“Humanity has never had better scientific knowledge, greater productive potential, or greater technological sophistication than it does today, yet billions of people continue to exist in conditions of insecurity, deprivation, violence and despair because society remains controlled by the private accumulation of profit rather than the fulfillment of basic human needs.”
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A major theme of his speech was the importance of Pan-African solidarity in the struggle against imperialism and exploitation.
“A Left that cannot defend Pan-African solidarity has abandoned its own historical mission because the fragmentation of African people along nationalist and xenophobic lines merely strengthens imperialism and weakens working-class unity.”
He pointed out that the future of Africa depends on coordinated efforts to break patterns of dependency.
“The future of African liberation depends fundamentally upon continental solidarity, regional industrialization, and coordinated resistance against global systems of extraction and dependency.”
Malema also identified sectarianism as one of the greatest weaknesses facing progressive politics today.
“International capital coordinates across borders with extraordinary efficiency, yet organizations claiming commitment to socialism often remain paralyzed by sectarianism, ego, historical resentment, and ideological confusion.”
For him, rebuilding hope and confidence among oppressed people is a central challenge of the present era.
“The greatest task facing the Left is therefore also psychological and moral: to restore imagination among the oppressed and to demonstrate once again that societies can be organized differently.”
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Speaking on behalf of the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party, Deputy President Tony Yengeni contextualized the conference as a response to a historic demand for unity among progressive forces.
“The time has come for the Black majority to come together, unite, and take over political power.”
Yengeni emphasized that political power must be used to advance genuine liberation for the masses.
“The reason why we are here, we are responding to that command, to forge unity among all progressive forces in the country, so that we can use that political power to liberate our people.”
Looking beyond the conference itself, he called for the establishment of a permanent coordinating structure.
“This conference must emerge as a solid and powerful united left platform.”
He proposed that the gathering establish a revolutionary council capable of guiding the process forward.
“This conference at the end must come out with a revolutionary council and run the affairs of this platform. And it must be guided by a set of principles and anchor it forward.”
Beyond the keynote addresses, representatives from the various participating organizations shared perspectives on the political, economic, and social crisis confronting South Africa and the need for unity among the left.
Whether this process ultimately leads to a permanent united front, a revolutionary council, coordinated campaigns, or a broader movement for socialist transformation remains to be seen. However, the conference has already achieved something important; it has created a space where organizations from diverse left traditions can engage one another directly and explore the possibilities of collective action in a period of deepening crisis.
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