Photo by Claudio Schwarz
A steering committee led by the South African Communist Party convened the ‘Conference of the Left’ in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, from 29 to 31 May 2026. The event united trade unions, social movements, intellectuals and political groups under the theme ‘Building a Left Movement for Working-Class and Popular Power’, providing a strategic platform to advance collective responses to the challenges facing the South African working class and the ongoing crises in the global order.
The gathering highlighted the need to understand challenges facing working people within the broader context of global capitalism and its persistent patterns of domination, exploitation and inequality. As progressive forces worldwide face increasingly complex issues, the conference offered an opportunity to develop a shared perspective, strengthen solidarity and coordinate transformative strategies.
The contradictions of contemporary capitalism
Within this framework, the conference noted that economic growth often coincides with worsening material deprivation, reduced social protection and greater precarity for most people worldwide. Wealth and economic power are increasingly concentrated, while millions face declining living standards, no secure employment and limited opportunities for advancement. The growing influence of financial capital over productive investment has shifted the global economy towards short-term gains at the expense of long-term social development.
These consequences are severe. Widespread poverty, unemployment, and social exclusion have fostered the rise of right-wing extremism, xenophobia, and reactionary nationalism. As conditions worsen, working people are increasingly exposed to narratives that redirect legitimate frustrations toward migrants, foreign nationals, and other vulnerable groups. This fragmentation undermines unity and distracts from the structural causes of deprivation and inequality.
Contemporary capitalism has also intensified the ecological crisis. The ongoing pursuit of accumulation drives unsustainable production and consumption, placing significant strain on ecosystems and resources. Climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation disproportionately impact the poorest communities, despite their minimal contribution to global emissions. As a result, environmental sustainability is now inseparable from economic justice, social development, national sovereignty and popular empowerment.
Rapid advances in artificial intelligence, automation and digital technologies are reshaping the current era. While these innovations can boost productivity, improve public services and expand access to knowledge, their benefits are largely concentrated within major corporations and dominant global capital. Without deliberate intervention, technological change may worsen unemployment, precarious work and economic inequality. Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in disinformation, deepfake technologies and psychological operations, and advanced digital systems are now central to modern military conflicts. The conference stressed the need to ensure technological innovation supports human development rather than militarisation, domination or private profit.
The international system is experiencing a growing legitimacy crisis. Principles such as multilateralism, international cooperation, and respect for international law are increasingly overshadowed by the strategic interests of dominant global powers. Economic coercion, political destabilisation, and military interventions now frequently undermine sovereignty, development, and peace.
South Africa’s political conjuncture
These global contradictions are especially visible in Africa and the broader Global South, where colonial-era economic structures persist. Many countries remain exporters of raw materials and depend on imported manufactured goods, technology and capital. This unequal exchange perpetuates dependency, limits industrial development and sustains neocolonial domination. The extraction of mineral and agricultural wealth enriches international capital, while local populations continue to face poverty, job scarcity, environmental degradation and underdevelopment.
South Africa’s political environment further highlights the conference’s significance. The 2024 general election marked a shift in the political landscape. The African National Congress’s weakened position has enabled right-wing and centrist groups to gain greater political power and influence over public policy. Both domestic and international interests continue to advocate for market fundamentalism, fiscal restraint and further economic liberalisation.
These changes have major implications for South Africa’s democratic transformation. They raise key questions about economic sovereignty, development priorities and the future role of the state. The conference noted that any progressive alternative must also address internal challenges within the democratic movement, such as corruption, state capture and weakened accountability. These failures have been used by right-wing forces to undermine transformative politics.
An alternative vision: productive, democratic and ecologically just development
In this context, the Conference of the Left aimed to strengthen the coherence, unity and strategic capacity of progressive forces. The conference promoted an alternative developmental vision based on industrialisation, productive investment, economic sovereignty and democratic planning. Participants stressed the need to rebuild manufacturing, expand productive sectors, and increase public ownership in key areas, including energy, mining, finance, and telecommunications. Revitalising productive activity was seen as essential for sustainable job creation, technological progress, and inclusive development.
The conference emphasised that development should not be measured solely by growth indicators or private wealth. Meaningful transformation requires organised participation from workers, communities, youth, women and social movements in shaping economic and developmental priorities. The declaration reaffirmed the importance of people-centred, people-driven development as the basis for social justice, democratic participation and national progress.
The conference recognised gender oppression as a structural aspect of capitalism, not a secondary issue. It committed to a feminist political economy that values women’s unpaid and underpaid labour, addresses violence and precarity, and ensures women’s leadership in all left decision-making bodies. Land and agrarian reform were also identified as unfinished national liberation goals, with proposals for expropriation without compensation, support for peasant agriculture and food sovereignty.
The Council of the Left
The creation of the Council of the Left was a key organisational achievement of the conference. As a permanent coordination platform, it enables joint campaigns, political education and collective action while respecting the autonomy of member organisations. This approach addresses the challenge of left fragmentation and provides a practical framework for sustained strategic action.
The Council will meet quarterly and organise an annual political school, thematic working groups on economics, ecology, technology, gender and international solidarity, and a permanent secretariat within the SACP accountable to all members. The first joint campaign will be a National Convention Against Austerity and Privatisation in early 2027, calling for a wealth tax, expanded social wages, and the renationalisation of key industries.
International solidarity and Pan-Africanist renewal
Globally, the conference contributed to the resurgence of a confident and internationally connected Left. It reaffirmed the value of collective organisation in addressing the crises caused by contemporary capitalism. The conference also highlighted the importance of developmental states, public ownership, industrial policy, technological sovereignty, ecological sustainability and democratic planning for advancing social transformation.
The conference called for renewed Pan-Africanist cooperation, including a progressive agenda within the African Union and BRICS, to resist debt imperialism, unfair trade agreements and military interference. It expressed solidarity with Palestine and other victims of imperialist aggression in West Asia, Cuba, Western Sahara, eSwatini and all peoples resisting imperialism. Participants committed to building a Global South Left Network to share strategies against neoliberalism and neocolonialism.
Progressive movements worldwide face similar challenges, including industrial decline, the rise of finance capital, widening inequality, technological disruption, and reactionary politics. These issues require renewed international solidarity and cooperation. Fragmentation has often limited effective responses. The conference showed that strategic dialogue across organisational, sectoral and national boundaries is possible. It provided a platform for developing shared analyses, setting common priorities and strengthening solidarity among those facing similar challenges.
A necessary intervention
The Conference of the Left was a timely intervention amid economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability, and social fragmentation. It presented a vision based on economic sovereignty, industrial development, democratic participation and regional cooperation. As material divides widen and developmental challenges intensify, the conference reaffirmed the importance of organised popular forces in shaping a future focused on productive development, social justice and human dignity.
The conference concluded with a pledge to build a Left force that is critical and capable of governing, constructive rather than merely oppositional, and internationalist as well as national. The Council of the Left is now responsible for turning this vision into lasting organisational reality.
