During his speech at the 14th national congress of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, Mapaila told delegates that the SACP hadn't abandoned its bid to contest the upcoming general elections.
Delegates at the congress said they wanted clarity on what the move would mean for the alliance.
Mapaila's comments are a stark contrast to the stance he took at the SACP elective conference earlier in the year where he said, "If the communist party vies for a spot on the ballot, the SACP would go up against its alliance partner, the ANC [African National Congress]."
Mapaila said it was not a done deal as alliance partners expected to engage in exhaustive consultations over the matter.
