African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa has challenged the South African Communist Party (SACP) to further advance the agenda of socialism in South Africa.

The SACP on Sunday is celebrating 100 years of existence, through a virtual rally.

Ramaphosa says it is the role played by ANC allies like the SACP that saw the country emerge from the oppression of the country’s citizens under the Apartheid government.

He says the road is still long, ahead and it will need a united front within the tripartite alliance in order to alleviate all social ills in the country.

“The SACP has throughout its history remained a dependable ally, not only of our liberation movement but of the oppressed and exploited masses of South Africans. It has been at the forefront of the struggle against racism and capitalist exploitation. Understanding the tough relationships between race and class in South Africa.”

COVID-19

Ramaphosa also says the global pandemic has laid bare deep divisions and inequalities in our society.

He says it has a devastating impact on the working class and the poor.

Ramaphosa says the pandemic has deepened unemployment.

“We have as both national and global community provided the means for this virus to cause such devastation and this is why this occasion, the centenary of the South African Communist Party, is imputed with such great significance. The social, political and economic conditions that make this pandemic possible are precisely the conditions that the SACP has dedicated its existence to overcoming.”

SACP holds Opening Rally marking 100 years of existence: