As South Africa’s local government elections approach, the long-standing alliance between the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) is under unprecedented strain. The SACP’s decision to contest elections independently has left political observers questioning whether the partnership can survive—and how dual membership will work on the ground.
Political analyst Prof. Sethulego Matebese described the situation as “messy,” noting that while the ANC’s Secretary General has insisted the alliance is not broken despite what he called “vitriolic attacks,” the practical realities are far more complicated.
“Very interesting times yet again in South African politics,” Matebese said. “We have seen on numerous occasions even a united alliance contesting elections and having gatekeepers who go at each other’s throats—violence during nominations, branch meetings and all that. Now you’ve got a situation where you’ve got an alliance partner contesting against the party.”
The core problem, Matebese explained, is the continuation of dual membership. “I can in the morning as a debater join an ANC meeting and then in the afternoon decide to campaign for the South African Communist Party. The question is who’s going to control that? I think that’s where the problem is going to emanate on the ground, and it will have huge reputational damage not only for the ANC but also for the SACP going forward.”
The ANC has attempted to set ground rules. According to Matebese, the Secretary General has said: “We’ve laid the rule. So you must decide now who you’re going to campaign for and you must stay with that decision until after elections.”
But the analyst questioned how this would apply to ordinary members versus elected representatives. “What about the rank and file members? They will be free to join any meeting because they haven’t openly declared that they are going to vote for either the SACP or the ANC. Those members will be joining the other meeting and take whatever information they get from the other party to the other—and that’s where the problems are going to emanate.”
Matebese commended the ANC for communicating its stance in advance, saying that failure to do so would have contributed to an even more chaotic situation. “It will be in the feather cap of both these two political giants if they are going to manage the situation.”
He warned that the current local government elections may serve as a “precursor” to what could play out in the general elections of 2029.
Already, some SACP members have begun resigning. “I think they do believe that perhaps the spoken word to say there will be no consequences, no action will be taken against SACP members may just lead to the opposite, where some members will be isolated—perhaps not at national level, but it might just happen in certain regions, certain branch levels.”
Matebese pointed to historical patterns where national leaders have struggled to control local dynamics. “History has given us a template to zoom into where it seems as if some of our political leaders at national level have found it extremely difficult to control what is happening at local level or at branch level.”
He named prominent SACP figures—including Blade Nzimande, David Masondo, and Soviet Lekganyane—as facing tough decisions in the weeks ahead.
While national leaders may remain unaffected, the analyst warned that local government candidates will face real consequences. “I don’t want to be a prophet of doom, but we have seen instances where even party members within the ANC have been isolated on the basis of their stance—perhaps to fight corruption, perhaps where they take a completely different stance as the leaders of a particular region—and there have been huge consequences. I cannot see that there will not be consequences for those that will now openly campaign against the ANC.”
The ANC’s Secretary General also used the party’s press briefing to lay down “ground truth,” Matebese noted: “Go out and campaign, but don’t come and belittle one another, because that also will definitely lead to a chaotic situation.”
The ANC released a five-page statement updating both the media and its constituencies on preparations for the upcoming local government elections.