Biography
Solly Mapaila (born June 19) is a renowned politician. He is the current General Secretary of the South African Communist Party. He stood unopposed for the election to his current position at SACP National Congress held on July 15, 2022.
Mapaila had served as the Deputy General Secretary of the party for ten years.
Solly Mapaila  | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General Secretary | |
| In office | July 2022 – |
| Background Details | |
| Name: | Solly Mapaila |
| Born: | June 19 |
| Place of Birth: | South Africa |
| Nationality: | South African |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Political Party: | South African Communist Party |
Career
Solly Mapaila is a well-known opponent of corruption within the ruling party, ANC. He extends his forceful criticism of the South African government, especially the tenure of President Jacob Zuma.
Mapaila received threats from the group of Zuma supporters. They threatened him with criminal charges if he continued calling the president corrupt.
Solly questioned the purported intelligence report, Operation Checkmate, which Zuma used to fire Pravin Gordhan. He was also a former Umkhonto weSizwe military intelligence operative.
After the South African National Defence Force was established, he served in the military.
Even with his military expertise and experience, he remains at the South African Communist Party offices.
Activism
Solly Mapaila has always been critical of the South African Government. He was a member of the paramilitary wing of the African National Congress, Umkhonto weSizwe.
Nelson Mandela formed it to fight against the then government. Mapaila operated outside the country until his return in 1994. He was stationed at Thaba Tshwane after joining the South African Defence force.
Assassination Attempt
On April 16, 2017, News24 reported the assassination attempt on Solly Mapaila. A video of a man waiving a gun in Solly Mapaila’s direction at the Chris Hani commemoration surfaced. Although, the gunman’s identity remains unknown.
A journalist caught the gun man on camera while the crowd heckled and booed Mapaila. At that time, Mapaila was about to give a speech about Chris Hani at the memorial service.