THE South African Communist Party (SACP) laid into the ruling ANC yesterday, accusing it of “factionalism,” “corruption” and “corporate capture” by the Indian Gupta business family.

A statement issued after a meeting of the party’s central committee said the alliance between the ANC, SACP and unions was under threat from “reckless, conservative populism.” The party said it “seeks to establish democratic working-class power over the state” — confirming spokesman Alex Mashilo’s comments on Thursday that the SACP might contest elections independently of the ANC for the first time.

It said the 14th SACP congress next year would answer a number of questions in that regard, including: “If the SACP is not part of the ANC-led alliance, who would it ally with?”