ANCYL's Malatji condemns SACP's plan to contest upcoming local municipal polls independently

CAPE TOWN - The South African Communist Party (SACP)'s decision to part ways with the African National Congress (ANC) in the upcoming municipal elections has sparked backlash, with ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president, Collen Malatji, expressing strong criticism.

Malatji has condemned SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila's plan to contest the 2026 municipal polls independently, questioning why the party only took this decision after the ANC's electoral decline.

He was speaking at the youth league's Peter Mokaba Memorial Lecture in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, on Friday.

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The SACP and ANC have been alliance partners for decades, with the SACP campaigning for and alongside the ANC since the first democratic election.

The party has threatened multiple times to contest elections without the ANC, but only now does it seem to be causing tension.

ANC Youth League supporters cheered as their president, Malatji, urged Mapaila to pack his bags alone, without the communist party.

"We are telling you now, that Solly Mapaila and friends must never think that they will disposition the ANC. You can't be a populist when the ANC is under attack. When the ANC is under attack, we must all unite, close rank and defend the ANC from the enemy."

The ANC's decision to form a Government of National Unity that includes the Democratic Alliance (DA) has caused the SACP to reevaluate its relationship with the ANC.