The SACP in the Eastern Cape has questioned the legality of the reported installation of a Nigerian “Igbo king” in KuGompo City.
Local traditional leaders also condemned the reported coronation ahead of a violent protest that left 10 cars damaged and shops in the city earlier this week.
With criticism mounting over the installation and subsequent violence, the SACP in the province has become the latest party to add its voice.
“From the outset, the SACP wishes to state unequivocally that it rejects the reported coronation, as it is inconsistent with the constitutional and legislative framework governing traditional leadership in SA,” first deputy provincial secretary Sisimone Rakaibe said.
“The recognition and establishment of traditional authorities is a matter regulated by South African law and cannot be undertaken outside of these prescripts.
“At the same time, the party condemns in the strongest terms the outbreak of violence and lawlessness that followed.
“Such actions, regardless of motivation, undermine working-class unity and weaken the democratic state.”
Rakaibe said the SACP was concerned by “the emergence of reactionary narratives that seek to mobilise sections of our people against foreign nationals, particularly fellow Africans”.
“These tendencies represent a form of narrow nationalism and chauvinism that is fundamentally at odds with the historic mission of the liberation movement and the principles of proletarian internationalism,” he said.
“The working-class interests are fundamentally opposed to those of capital, not to fellow workers, whether local or migrant.
“We caution that in the absence of conscious revolutionary leadership, legitimate frustrations of the masses can be diverted toward misdirected anger, scapegoating and division, and ultimately serving the interests of capital by fragmenting working-class struggles.”
The party said the developments pointed to weaknesses in both organisational vigilance and state responsiveness.
“Information relating to the planned ‘coronation’ and subsequent mobilisation appears to have been available in advance,” Rakaibe said.
“Yet, there was insufficient co-ordinated intervention to engage affected communities, enforce the law and prevent escalation.
“This reflects a broader challenge facing the democratic state and the need to strengthen capable, developmental and responsive institutions, including intelligence and law enforcement, rooted in serving the people rather than reacting after crises have unfolded.”
The SACP reiterated that migration should be managed within the framework of the law.
Rakaibe said the state had a responsibility to secure borders, regulate entry and address undocumented migration in a humane and lawful manner.
“However, we reject attempts to reduce SA’s socioeconomic crisis to the presence of foreign nationals,” he said.
“Such narratives obscure the systemic crisis of capitalism in SA, characterised by mass unemployment, inequality and poverty.
“These conditions are not caused by migrants, but by a neoliberal economic path that concentrates wealth in the hands of a few while excluding the majority.
“We must also confront the ideological inconsistency in our society, where every industry is monopolised often by descendants of European origin, while marginal economic activity by African migrants is violently contested.”
In response to the developments, the SACP in the province commits to engagement with traditional leadership, constructive engagement with the Igbo community and other stakeholders to promote a resolution grounded in legality, mutual respect and social cohesion.
It also aims to intensify ideological work within communities to combat chauvinism, build class consciousness and advance proletarian internationalism.
Another focal area was mass mobilisation for unity, “organising initiatives that unite workers and communities around their common socioeconomic struggles”.
The Nigerian Embassy in Pretoria has since apologised for the confusion following the reported “coronation”.
Daily Dispatch
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