The SA Communist Party (SACP) is critical of the ANC for forming a “counterrevolutionary” government of national unity with its arch-enemy, the DA, and has announced that it will contest the 2026 local government elections under its own banner.
The SACP has campaigned for the ANC since SA’s first democratic elections in 1994 but is critical of its track record in government which it says led to its electoral misfortunes last year.
The party has threatened in the past to contest elections independently but eventually backed off. It is time that it does so to test its strength among voters and justify — or not — its standing as a significant member of the tripartite alliance with the ANC and Cosatu. It needs to demonstrate that it is not simply hanging on to their coattails.
An election outcome would also indicate whether the number of cabinet members it has is justified, especially relative to the number of ministers assigned to member parties of the GNU.
SACP members of cabinet include science, technology & innovation minister Blade Nzimande, mineral & petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe, deputy finance minister David Masondo, deputy higher education minister Buti Manamela, deputy police minister Polly Boshielo and deputy justice minister Andries Nel though admittedly their positions could well be based on their dual membership of the ANC.
On the other hand, should the SACP win substantial support in the local government elections, this would be at the expense of the ANC and would perhaps give it more influence to counter what it calls the ANC’s neoliberal shift.
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