ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has confirmed that SACP members with dual membership will not be allowed to participate in ANC election-related meetings, as tensions grow within the alliance ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
The move follows the SA Communist Party’s decision to contest elections independently, marking a shift in the alliance that has historically seen the two parties campaign together.
At its fifth special national congress in December 2024, the SACP resolved to contest elections independently.
Addressing delegates at the ANC’s Amathole regional elective conference in KuGompo City on Sunday, Mbalula said this had created practical and political challenges for members who belonged to both organisations.
Currently, some SACP members hold public office on the ANC ticket, including councillors, mayors, MECs and ministers.
Mbalula said these members would be required to choose which party they would represent in the elections.
“How does a mayor of the ANC currently, who is a member of the SACP, execute the role of contesting elections on behalf of the SACP while being the mayor or councillor of the ANC.
“The question of dual membership and forcing people to choose is what this SACP resolution has brought,” Mbalula said.
“There will be those who, when they do not make it onto the ANC list, may then go to the SACP,” he said.
Mbalula cited Limpopo premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba as an example of a leader who had opted to align with the ANC.
“She has made her choice,” he said.
Mbalula said the ANC was now focused on addressing the practical implications of the SACP’s decision.
“What we’re doing as the ANC is to address the practicality of the decision, and we’re going to finalise that in the next two to three weeks, so that we can give guidance to the structures.
“At present, we don’t invite the SACP to our election work meetings,” he said.
The ANC has acknowledged the SACP’s right to take the decision, but has argued that it could weaken the Mass Democratic Movement and create space for opposition parties.
The SACP, however, has maintained that contesting elections independently is intended to strengthen the alliance, arguing that the current model is no longer effective.
Once you are on the ANC list, you become an ANC candidate, not the communist party
— Fikile Mbalula, ANC secretary-general
Despite the tensions, Mbalula said the relationship between the two parties remained intact.
“Some of the issues we will resolve after the elections.
“However, their resolution forces them to choose. You can’t have both.
“You can’t be a communist party candidate and the ANC candidate. In the past, it used to be like that.
“Once you are on the ANC list, you become an ANC candidate, not the communist party.
“With their resolution, it is more pronounced that the SACP will stand on the ballot as the communist party.
“So the ANC must then pronounce as to how we deal with that practicality.
“It’s just an operational issue, and actually more than an operational issue, it’s a principle question of how to handle that particular matter,” he said.
Mbalula said the party had not yet taken a formal position, but acknowledged the challenges it presented.
“The duality of membership also brings into question how you are going to conduct yourself in any ANC leadership role.
“You can’t execute both in the context of the election …
“You can’t divorce that from the reality that now, here am I, I’m a leader of the SACP, and I happen to be an ANC MEC, so how do I work for both.
“Now they are forced to choose … you can’t convene an ANC electoral support base and the SACP at the same time. It’s not possible,” he said.
Mbalula said it was also a concern that, for the first time, the ANC would not receive input from the SACP in drafting its election manifesto.
“They will have their own manifesto and the things that they want to do, and the ANC will have its own.
“Hopefully, they will not be antagonistic,” he said.
He said there were currently no discussions about a break in relations between the two parties.
“We were marching together yesterday. Nobody has said the alliance comes to an end.
“We are just dealing with an aspect of an election, which of course has got an impact in terms of how we used to work together.
“We have not broken ties with the communist party altogether.”
Mbalula said future co-operation could still be possible after the elections.
“We’ll deal with the aftermath of the elections based on what the communist party is able to garner on the ground, and, probably, we’ll collaborate with them going forward, post the elections,” he said.
Amathole regional chair Sheila Xego said the SACP had not posed a significant threat in the region.
“I don’t think the solution will be a one-size-fits-all, because in Amathole we have recently had by-elections, and there was no contest from the communist party.
“The last by-election that we had was in Ngqushwa Ward 11, and the communist party did not contest those elections.
“As a region, we have good relations with the communist party.
“However, we will allow the process of the communist party to take its shape, because it’s their conference resolution.
“Whoever is contesting our space … We will fight there in the communities defending the ANC.”
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.