Tensions within the Tripartite Alliance between the ANC, the South African Communist Party (SACP), and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) have come to the fore after an incident in Mpumalanga where SACP members were asked to leave an ANC election workshop.
The workshop, aimed at strategising for the 2026 Local Government Elections, has exposed deepening divisions within the alliance.
At the event, ANC Deputy Secretary-General Nomvula Mokonyane issued a directive, asking SACP delegates to leave the workshop, citing that the party would not strategise with a group intending to contest elections independently.
This move has drawn criticism from senior SACP leaders, who accuse Mokonyane of divisiveness and of breaking the longstanding relationship between the parties.
According to sources, the directive also angered some SACP leaders, and they have accused Mokonyane of also breaking the longstanding relationship the party has had with the ANC and Cosatu.
Sources say there will be talks between the ANC and the SACP that will focus on what will happen to SACP members who were placed in top positions by the ANC, including SACP chairperson and Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Blade Nzimande.
SACP national Spokesperson Mbulelo Ndlazana confirmed the incident, stating that the party’s decision to contest the local government elections independently is not a reflection of the political relationship between the two organisations.
“Indeed, it is true that certain members and leaders of the SACP were removed from an elections workshop in Mpumalanga. The SACP is aware of this action and has engaged the ANC about it,” Ndlazana said.
He further stated that the alliance was not an election, and therefore, electoral contests do not determine the fate of the political relationship between alliance partner organisations.
He blamed the ANC leadership in Mpumalanga for failing to address the matter before extending an invitation.
“The ANC local leadership committed an error by inviting the SACP into the workshop, given the fact that the SACP is contesting the elections independently.
“The fact that the SACP is contesting the local government elections independently and in its name means its election strategy and plans are internal to it, and this is true of the ANC as well,” Ndlazana said.
He further said it was normal that each organisation on this particular question worked separately because the two were running different election campaigns.
“This is related specifically to the election programme and not to the political relationship between the two organisations as we historically know it.”
The SACP has met all requirements to contest the elections, as confirmed by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
Cosatu Spokesperson Matthew Parks expressed concern over the growing rift, emphasising the importance of unity within the alliance.
“The unity of the Alliance is paramount to Cosatu. We are undertaking discussions with affiliates, members, and workers on Cosatu’s approach to the local elections, more so in light of the SACP’s congress resolution to contest state power,” Parks said.
He also highlighted the need for the Alliance to be reconfigured to address challenges and ensure it remains the strategic centre for policy and political discourse.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has backed the SACP’s decision to contest the 2026 local government elections independently.
In its secretariat report at its elective conference in Benoni, Ekurhuleni, the NUM called for the mobilisation of the “popular front of the left” against the Government of National Unity (GNU).
The ANC has criticised the SACP’s decision, arguing that it will split the Alliance vote and benefit opposition parties.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula previously questioned the theoretical basis for the SACP’s decision, stating that if the SACP wants more influence, it can be resolved through discussions on deployment lists.
SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila reiterated the party’s decision to contest the elections independently, stating that there is no turning back.
“The SACP is going to contest the local government elections; there’s no turning back. I cannot reverse this decision; no one in the Communist Party can reverse this decision. It’s a decision taken by Congress,” Mapaila said.
