SACP wants to go it alone at upcoming local govt elections to prove its might

JOHANNESBURG - The South African Communist  Party (SACP) believes it would be in a stronger position to restore public confidence in the tripartite alliance if it contests the 2026 local government elections independently.

The tripartite alliance is a longstanding pact between the African National Congress (ANC), SACP and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

Since South Africa's first democratic election, the SACP has participated in elections through the ANC-led alliance and has never contested elections independently.

However, in its discussion documents for its upcoming 5th special national congress, the Communist Party has indicated its willingness to contest the next local government elections without the ANC.

In 2017, the SACP took a significant step by contesting a by-election in Metsimaholo Municipality, marking its first direct competition against its alliance partner, the ANC.

Despite having no established presence in the municipality, the SACP managed to win three council seats, while the ANC's representation fell to just 16.

A coalition government, including the ANC and the forum for service delivery, saw an SACP candidate elected as mayor of the free state municipality.

In its discussion documents ahead of its conference, the SACP outlines plans to use this strategy to expand its footprint independently in other councils across the country.

“The SACP believes that by assuming a more direct role in local governance, it can more effectively strive to pursue its socialist programme, encourage democratic public participation and seek more effective service delivery. In turn, this will help restore confidence among the working class and strengthen our movement’s commitment to social justice, equality based upon the strategic objectives of the NDR [National Democratic Revolution], especially its original mission that has become so much compromised by the rising dominance of neo-liberalism, including unnecessary outsourcing of public functions and thus tenderisation of municipalities or outright privatisation, all badly affecting workers.

“The party’s experience in the Metsimaholo municipality, where it contested local elections and won three seats despite limited resources, underscores the potential of this strategy and reinforces its determination to expand its electoral presence at the local government level,” the document reads.

Although the SACP has no intention of leaving the tripartite alliance, it believes it will be better positioned to reshape the pact when not constrained by the ANC.

The party’s upcoming conference will fully explore its intentions to contest elections independently.