# Solly Mapaila

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{{short description|South African politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use South African English|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name         = Solly Mapaila
| office       = 14th [General Secretary of the South African Communist Party](/source/South_African_Communist_Party)
| term_start   = 15 July 2022
| term_end     =
| 1blankname   = First Deputy
| 1namedata    = [Madala Masuku](/source/Madala_Masuku)
| 2blankname   = Second Deputy
| 2namedata    = [David Masondo](/source/David_Masondo)
| predecessor  = [Blade Nzimande](/source/Blade_Nzimande)
| office1      = [First Deputy General Secretary of the South African Communist Party](/source/Central_Committee_of_the_South_African_Communist_Party)
| term_start1  = July 2017
| term_end1    = July 2022
| 1blankname1  = General Secretary
| 1namedata1   = [Blade Nzimande](/source/Blade_Nzimande)
| predecessor1 = [Jeremy Cronin](/source/Jeremy_Cronin)
| successor1   = [Madala Masuku](/source/Madala_Masuku)
| office2      = [Second Deputy General Secretary of the South African Communist Party](/source/Central_Committee_of_the_South_African_Communist_Party)
| term_start2  = July 2012
| term_end2    = July 2017
| 1blankname2  = General Secretary
| 1namedata2   = [Blade Nzimande](/source/Blade_Nzimande)
| predecessor2 = [Jeremy Cronin](/source/Jeremy_Cronin)
| successor2   = Chris Matlhako
| birth_date   = 
| birth_place  = 
| death_date   = 
| death_place  = 
| party        = [South African Communist Party](/source/South_African_Communist_Party)
| other_party  = [African National Congress](/source/African_National_Congress)<br>{{small|([Tripartite Alliance](/source/Tripartite_Alliance))}}
| relations    = 
| spouse       = 
| children     = 
| occupation   = 
| signature    = 
| website      = 
| footnotes    =  
}}

'''Solly Afrika Mapaila''' is a South African politician who is the General Secretary of the [South African Communist Party](/source/South_African_Communist_Party). He was elected unopposed on 15 July 2022 in his current position at the SACP National Congress.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Khumalo |first=Juniour |title=Solly Mapaila elected unopposed as SACP general secretary as Nzimande becomes chair |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/politics/solly-mapaila-elected-unopposed-as-sacp-general-secretary-as-nzimande-becomes-chair-20220716 |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}</ref> Solly Mapaila was appointed as the Second Deputy General Secretary of the [South African Communist Party](/source/South_African_Communist_Party) in 2012.<ref name =Crackdown>{{cite web | title = SACP's 'Comrade Crackdown' takes control | url = http://mg.co.za/article/2012-07-27-00-sacp-comrade-crackdown-takes-control | access-date = 2017-02-10 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = South African Communist Party | url = http://www.sacp.orgs.za/main.php?D=3404 | access-date = 2017-02-10 }}</ref>

==Career==
Mapaila was a member of [Umkhonto weSizwe](/source/Umkhonto_weSizwe) and operated outside of South Africa prior to 1994.<ref name =Crackdown/> On returning to South Africa in 1994, he was integrated into the [South African Defence Force](/source/South_African_Defence_Force) and stationed at [Thaba Tshwane](/source/Thaba_Tshwane).<ref name =Crackdown/>

He is a critic of corruption in the [African National Congress](/source/African_National_Congress) and the South African government,<ref>{{cite news | last =Stone | first =Setumo | title =The ANC is not the God of the revolution| newspaper =[News24](/source/News24_(website)) | location =[Cape Town](/source/Cape_Town) | date =12 March 2017 | url =http://m.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/the-anc-is-not-the-god-of-the-revolution-20170312-2 | access-date =12 March 2017 }}</ref> and of the leadership of former South African president, [Jacob Zuma](/source/Jacob_Zuma).<ref>{{cite news | title =SACP, ANC at loggerheads over Zuma | newspaper =[South African Broadcasting Corporation](/source/South_African_Broadcasting_Corporation) | date =29 August 2016 | url =http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/e11194804e0a219a8259b35173dc1eac/SACP,undefinedANCundefinedatundefinedloggerheadsundefinedoverundefinedZuma-20162908 | access-date =12 March 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last =Mkokeli | first =Sam |last2 =Sguazzin| first2 =Antony| title =ANC's Communist Allies Say Party Losing Grip on South Africa | newspaper =[Bloomberg Markets](/source/Bloomberg_Markets) | date =1 November 2016 | url =https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-01/anc-s-communist-allies-warn-its-grip-on-south-africa-in-peril | access-date =12 March 2016 }}</ref> A group of  Zuma supporters threatened to open criminal charges against him if he continued to say that the president is corrupt.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/justice-safety/sacp-leader-could-face-criminal-charges-over-zuma-criticism-9442349|title=SACP leader could face criminal charges over Zuma criticism {{!}} IOL|access-date=2017-07-08|language=en}}</ref>

Mapaila directly questioned the purported intelligence report titled "Operation Checkmate" used by President [Jacob Zuma](/source/Jacob_Zuma) to fire the former Minister of Finance [Pravin Gordhan](/source/Pravin_Gordhan).<ref>{{cite news |last=Pillay |first=Verashni |date=30 March 2017 |title='For God's Sakes People!' SACP's Solly Mapaila Rubbishes Operation Checkmate Claims Against Pravin Gordhan |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.za/2017/03/30/for-gods-sakes-people-sacps-solly-mapaila-rubbishes-operati_a_22018399/ |access-date=4 April 2017 |newspaper=The Huffington Post South Africa |location=Johannesburg}}</ref> He led calls from within the [Tripartite Alliance](/source/Tripartite_Alliance) for the resignation of President [Jacob Zuma](/source/Jacob_Zuma).<ref>{{cite news | title =The party will not fall into the trap of false unity| newspaper =[Business Day](/source/Business_Day_(South_Africa)) | location =[Johannesburg](/source/Johannesburg) | date =4 April 2017 | url =https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/politics/2017-04-04-business-day-tv-the-party-will-not-fall-into-the-trap-of-false-unity/| access-date =4 April 2017 }}</ref>

Mapaila was considered a leading candidate to succeed [Blade Nzimande](/source/Blade_Nzimande) as general secretary of the SACP for a number of years and was ultimately elected to this position in 2022.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite news | last =Hunter | first =Qaanitah | title =Tearful Blade ready to call time on the SACP| newspaper = [Sunday Times](/source/The_Sunday_Times_(South_Africa)) | location =[Johannesburg](/source/Johannesburg) | date = 17 August 2016| url =http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/stnews/2016/07/17/Tearful-Blade-ready-to-call-time-on-the-SACP | access-date =12 March 2017 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mapaila, Solly}}
Category:Living people
Category:People from Msunduzi Local Municipality
Category:South African Communist Party politicians
Category:African National Congress politicians
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Balobedu people

{{SouthAfrica-politician-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Solly Mapaila](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solly_Mapaila) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solly_Mapaila?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.