COSATU still mulling if it will back the ANC or SACP in 2026 municipal elections
The country’s biggest trade union federation is in an alliance with both parties, but sided with the SACP in its opposition to the make-up of the Government of National Unity.
- Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
- South African Communist Party (SACP)
- African National Congress (ANC)
The SACP is holding its 5th special national congress at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/ EWN
JOHANNESBURG - The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) says it is yet to decide on who it will back between the African National Congress (ANC) or South African Communist Party (SACP) in the upcoming local government elections.
The SACP resolved to contest the 2026 municipal elections.
COSATU, which is the country’s biggest trade union federation, is in an alliance with both parties.
However, it sided with the SACP in its opposition to the make-up of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
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Speaking at the sidelines of the SACP's 5th Special National Congress, COSATU's Deputy President Mike Shingange said the federation's leadership had to meet to discuss who it would lend its electoral support to.
"The electoral support we will lend to any political party, as COSATU is always a product of robust discussions, which is going to happen. However, we note it's not the first time, when they have taken this decision in the past we would have supported them. If you remember, in 2018 [at] our national congress, we did say we will support a reconfigured alliance led by the ANC, but if that doesn’t happen, we were going to support the SACP in 2021. Of course, that has come to pass; they were not on the ballot and we went and supported the ANC. It called for us to go and review that decision now that the party has reached that decision they have taken.”
This comes as the SACP said there was no turning back this time on its decision to contest the upcoming local government elections.
The SACP is in a 30-year alliance with the ANC, and has historically opted to back it rather than contest by itself.
The party's General Secretary, Solly Mapaila, said the organisation would be on the 2026 election ballot.
"We are wishing you well as you go in the terrain of our movement to campaign as you strengthen our liberation movement by having an independent voice of the communist party in our communities. We have said to our comrades in all provinces, we are not discussing whether we are contesting elections or not, we are past that stage."
Mapaila said the congress was about the party asserting its independence as a political organisation outside of the ANC.
"We are not leaving the relationship, but we are freeing ourselves from the abuse. We will now engage independently as an organisation, and therefore, comrades, we want to say because of these challenges that we are going through, we will require maximum unity of the SACP structures."