The general secretary of the SACP, Solly Mapaila, who claimed he had struggled to sleep for two days following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, says the party will march to the US embassy on Thursday to protest against the actions of the US.
Mapaila confirmed the march would take place on January 8 and called on all alliance partners and South Africans to join.
“I must, from the beginning, indicate that we are organising a march to the US embassy on Thursday. All the alliance components and everyone in South Africa are invited,” Mapaila said on Tuesday.
He was speaking at the 31st annual Joe Slovo commemoration at Avalon Cemetery in Soweto.
Mapaila said he had struggled to sleep for two days following the US operation.
He said he was “extremely disturbed internally” by the abduction of Maduro.
“I must really say, I did not sleep for two days after the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro, trying to think about the international situation,” he said.
He called for the immediate release of Maduro and Flores and criticised the global influence of the United States.
“The US influence in the world is weakening. It’s like a bully. When you confront a bully, you will be shocked by how apologetic they can be,” Mapaila said.
“The day the US is properly confronted, they will have their tail between their legs. But this relative decline of US productive power and over-reliance on financial and military cohesion will come to an end because there is a rise in new centres of accumulation and new centres of power,” he said.
Mapaila said that China, Asia, Eurasian integration, and BRICS as examples of emerging economic and strategic blocs capable of defending themselves independently of US influence.
His comments came after heightened tensions following a US operation in Caracas that saw Maduro and Flores detained.
Maduro, 63, appeared in a New York federal court on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty to charges including drug trafficking.
Flores also pleaded not guilty. The couple remain in US custody, with a hearing set for March 17.
US officials said the raid involved airstrikes backed by warplanes and naval forces.
Maduro’s former deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, has since been sworn in as interim president.
US President Donald Trump previously said the United States was now “in charge” in Venezuela and intended to take control of the country’s oil industry, ruling out new elections in the near term.
Earlier at the commemoration, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the US actions, saying South Africa “utterly rejects” Washington’s conduct and stands in solidarity with the Venezuelan people.
“We reject utterly the actions that the United States has embarked upon and stand with the people of Venezuela, and we demand the release of President Maduro and his wife as well,” Ramaphosa said.
He called on the UN Security Council to act decisively to uphold international law and maintain peace and security, while warning that global instability, climate change, and widening inequality underscored the need for a fair and just world order.
“As we say in the strategy and tactics document of the African National Congress, we seek to build a society based on the best in human civilisation, founded on political equality and social inclusivity,” Ramaphosa said.
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