SACP breaks away from ANC to contest 2026 local elections independently

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has announced its decision to independently contest the 2026 local government elections.

The SACP is part of the tripartite alliance with the African National Congress (ANC) and Congress of the Trade Unions (Cosatu) and has consistently campaigned for the former ruling party for national and local elections.

GNU BEHIND SACP CONTESTING 2026 ELECTIONS ALONE?

The SACP has criticised the ANC for forming the Government of National Unity (GNU) with parties like the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Freedom Front Plus.

At the weekend, SACP secretary-general Solly Mapaila told the SABC that they decided to contest the 2026 local elections in 2023, but they decided to go on the imperialist offensive against the liberation movement in the run-up to the 29 May elections because imperialism and imperialist forces were spending too much money and creating new organisations, which disappointedly the ANC has now decided to form a coalition with.

“They funded those organisations so that they can remove the ANC from political power, and we have therefore lost an important instrument in the hands of the people of South Africa to drive social transformation agenda.

“We thought that moment would’ve given the ANC the permission to come from all and sundry who were intimidating them one way or the other, including imperialist forces in the economy and so forth, to drive transformation for the people of our country to change their lives,” Mapaila explained.

Further, the SACP secretary-general said they never had proper time to sit with the ANC bilaterally, which they only had last week, and will duly inform them of the decision.

“We will then finalise the modality of implementation of the technicalities basically, but we are participating in the local government election as the SACP,” Mapaila said.

COMMUNIST PARTY MEMBERS INCLUDED IN EXECUTIVE

Despite their criticism of the ANC, several SACP leaders were also included in the executive, namely:

• Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Blade Nzimande – SACP national chairperson
• Deputy Minister of Finance, David Masondo – SACP’s second deputy general secretary
• Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Buti Manamela – member of SACP central committee
• Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe – member of SACP central committee
• Deputy Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Chupu Stanley Mathabatha – member of SACP central committee
• Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Andries Nel – member of SACP central committee