The ANC is facing its most serious challenge since its unbanning. Its historical ally, the SA Communist Party (SACP), has decided to contest next year’s local government elections on its own.
Worse, unions affiliated to Cosatu, the ANC’s labour ally, are lining up behind the SACP ahead of the 2026 municipal elections. Public sector unions, which now form the bulk of Cosatu’s affiliates, are due to hold conferences to decide whether to support the ANC — as they have done since 1994 — or back the SACP.
The National Union of Mineworkers has already thrown its weight behind the SACP. Later this month, Cosatu’s central executive committee will meet and, among other decisions, it will mull over the SACP’s decision to go it alone.
Until now, the ANC has played down the significance of the SACP’s decision to contest the polls in its own name. It must have been emboldened in this because an SACP candidate in a Limpopo by-election lost.
Like most sectors of society, the SACP feels betrayed by the ANC. Its disappointment has been deepened by the formation of the government of national unity, especially the inclusion of the DA.
It remains to be seen whether the SACP can appeal to voters with a socialist agenda. This will become clearer only when it unveils its elections manifesto.
Years ago, a survey of Cosatu shop stewards found that if there was a labour party, shop stewards would support it instead of the ANC. A Numsa-inspired political party fared dismally.
While the SACP poses a lesser threat to the ANC’s electoral fortunes, withdrawal of unions’ support may be a severe blow.
When it became clear that the SACP would not walk back on its decision to contest elections in its own name, ANC leaders sought to persuade the party to contest proportional representation seats instead of going head-to-head with the ANC.
Lately, ANC leaders, such as former president Thabo Mbeki and chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli, have been promoting a new idea, suggesting the SACP should campaign on the socialist — not national democratic — revolution. The latter will put it on a collision course with the ANC.
While the SACP poses a lesser threat to the ANC’s electoral fortunes, withdrawal of unions’ support may be a severe blow. Unlike the SACP, a small party by numbers, the unions’ support is significant. Unions bring both organisational machinery and financial backing to the ANC table.
The SACP has a right to contest elections in its own name with its own policy programme. Sentimentality about the anti-apartheid struggle is insufficient reason to be in an unhappy alliance with a party that has lost its way.
Our maturing democracy requires that voters are presented with a diverse choice of parties and ideas. A ballot featuring SACP candidates will enrich voters’ choices and show that voters are engaging with ideas from each party instead of just voting with their hearts.
Cosatu unions have benefited a lot from successive ANC administrations. The post-1994 labour laws have largely favoured workers. But ANC policies have failed to grow the economy and create jobs. As the economy shed jobs, unions’ membership has also dwindled over time.
As individuals and as a collective, workers have a right to choose candidates and parties to support. This newspaper supports this right, though translating it into electoral support will not be easy.
Multiple memberships are not uncommon. Most SACP members are also ANC and Cosatu members. That most ANC members are fed up with its performance may not be a gain for the SACP. These members may elect to stay at home on voting day instead of casting votes for the SACP. This has happened to the ANC numerous times.
Turning sentiment into votes will require a lot of hard work. Voter education is an important ingredient in this exercise. And parties will have to do much more to sell their ideas and solutions to the electorate.
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