Tensions between the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) have escalated after the ANC’s National Executive Committee ruled that dual members must decide which party to campaign for in the upcoming local government elections.
The ANC has given SACP members who hold dual membership just 10 days to make the critical decision. The ruling party’s highest decision-making structure has stipulated that those who choose to support the SACP in the forthcoming municipal elections may not serve on ANC campaign or selection structures.
Ronnie Kasrils, who has served on both the ANC’s National Executive Committee and the SACP’s Central Committee, described the tensions between the two alliance partners as “undeniable” but expressed confidence they can be overcome.
“I believe they can be overcome and I believe they will be,” Kasrils said. He clarified that the current dispute relates specifically to the coming elections, not a broader challenge to the right of individuals to hold dual membership.
Kasrils described the ANC’s instruction as “acceptable” and “reasonable,” noting that the party is not telling dual members to leave. “They saying comrades, since you are members of both, make up your minds. There’s no penalty, by the way,” he explained. However, he noted that penalties would apply to those who lie about their position, adding that “proper party members don’t lie.”
Regarding the SACP’s decision to contest elections independently of the ANC, Kasrils rejected the notion that the party remains in the alliance due to electoral weakness. He cited the shared commitment to a national democratic revolution and the need to move away from neoliberal economics.
“The greater objective binds us together,” Kasrils said. He suggested that having communist party members in parliament would see them “in 90% plus of the cases… in absolute firm support of the ANC position.”
On the performance of ANC local government leaders, Kasrils agreed with criticism raised by President Ramaphosa about the quality of deployed cadres. “There are very good outstanding ANC representatives at local level and there are lots of bad ones who have failed us,” Kasrils said, adding that as both an ANC and SACP member, he would be “absolutely against election of such people.”
Asked about government figures such as Blade Nzimande who serve in both structures, Kasrils acknowledged they face potential risks. “One understands their position. I’ve been there as well. I know what it feels like to lose,” he said, urging honesty about whether self-interest or the broader interest of the party should guide their decisions.
Kasrils cited the late Chris Hani as an example, noting that Hani chose not to serve in government because it “would have undermined his position as the general secretary of the communist party.”
While acknowledging the complex and contradictory nature of the current moment, Kasrils remained optimistic, saying mature leadership on both sides could manage the tensions.