COSATU yet to decide on which alliance partner to back in 2026 municipal elections

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said it has not made a decision yet over which of its alliance partners it will be backing in 2026’s elections between the African National Congress ANC and the South African Communist Party (SACP).

The three organisations formed the tripartite alliance in 1990 and have contested elections under the ANC banner.

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However, the SACP has broken away from this agreement and recently resolved to contest the upcoming local government elections alone.

While its political influence has waned in recent times, COSATU remains the largest trade union federation in the country, with 20 affiliated unions representing close to 2 million workers.

As such, an endorsement by COSATU carries significant political weight.

Speaking on the sidelines of its bilateral meeting with the ANC on Monday, COSATU’s parliamentary coordinator, Matthew Parks, said that the federation’s focus was on uniting the alliance.

"We want to continue our relationship with the ANC and the SACP. They both have different roles to play, their complementary roles, but I think the message from our workers, delegates and central committee is we must unite the alliance and whatever approach we have for the local government elections next year, we need to ensure we are on the same page. We can’t afford to be divided."

An alliance meeting between all the partners is yet to be scheduled.