The ANC is so far failing to convince its alliance partner, the SACP, to reverse its decision to contest elections as an independent party.

SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila on Tuesday announced, in front of ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, that his party has selected March as the date of its local government elections manifesto conference.

“Sometime in March we will convene ourselves at the people’s manifesto conference wherein communities will come together, trade unions, informal traders, youth, women, faith-based activists, progressive professionals and formations of the working class to determine their own manifesto,” Mapaila said to applause from SACP members.

Mapaila’s announcement of a manifesto launch indicates that the ANC has failed to convince him not to pull the SACP into contesting elections outside the tripartite alliance.

The ANC has previously spoken of the negative impact that the SACP going alone would have on the alliance.

At its national general council (NGC) last month which Mapaila did not attend, the ANC resolved that SACP deployed representatives would not be allowed to attend its elections strategy meetings as they are now seen as political opponents.

This will not be another bureaucratic exercise; we are entering the battles of governments at the local government level in the interest of the working class. In other words, we are coming to determine a new social path for municipalities

—  Solly Mapaila, SACP general secretary

The ANC’s highest decision-making body between conferences, the national executive committee (NEC) has also resolved to reject the dual membership being held by SACP members.

The SACP is an integral part of the tripartite alliance which includes the ANC and Cosatu and has always campaigned under the banner of the ANC. However, it is opposed to the formation of the government of national unity (GNU) which includes the DA and leaves out the EFF and MK Party.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told the NGC during his mid-term report that the party’s NEC had essentially given the SACP an ultimatum to either backtrack on its decision to contest elections on its own or have its members lose their ANC membership.

But Mapaila is unfazed, telling attendees at the 31st Joe Slovo memorial lecture in Johannesburg on Tuesday that the decision to contest elections would not be reversed.

“The SACP is entering the local government elections in 2026 which will be a crucial terrain of class struggle. This will not be another bureaucratic exercise; we are entering the battles of governments at the local government level in the interest of the working class. In other words, we are coming to determine a new social path for municipalities,” said Mapaila.

“It is within this context that we have resolved to participate independently in elections which we characterise as a necessary option for defending working class interest and defending the national democratic revolution.”

In his address before Mapaila delivered the blow, Ramaphosa urged the SACP to reconsider its decision, saying it would divide the alliance.

“The ANC is on record as saying the decision, which we respect, by the party to go in and run for elections on its own will be a historic mistake. It will weaken the alliance, it will distract our people from knowing who to vote for and the very issue that is being punted about state power could be wrestled from our hands,” said Ramaphosa.

But Mapaila said in actual fact, their view was that the SACP contesting the elections independently of the ANC is what would forge real unity in the alliance and not what has been happening thus far.

This decision is not an attack on the alliance, it is not even hostile to the ANC or Cosatu or Sanco, it is rather the exercise of a working class political independence within a framework of the revolutionary alliance. It is not about division, this is about building real unity.

—  Mapaila

“This decision is not an attack on the alliance, it is not even hostile to the ANC or Cosatu or Sanco, it is rather the exercise of a working class political independence within a framework of the revolutionary alliance,” he said

“It is not about division, this is about building real unity, not unity of silence in the face of corruption and even betrayal but we are talking about principled unity, ethical and working class led unity.”

The simmering tensions between the two parties were in full view at the Joe Slovo memorial lecture as supporters of the two alliance partners belted out opposing songs. As Ramaphosa moved to the podium, SACP members sang “asiyifun” iGNU (we don’t want GNU), while ANC members responded by drowning the SACP’s song with a pro-Ramaphosa one, “Ramaphosa re go rata kaofela (Ramaphosa we all love you)”.

Mapaila sought to clarify that his stance against the Ramaphosa-led ANC and GNU which led to the decision to contest independently was not because of sour grapes for being snubbed in the executive.

His predecessor Blade Nzimande was always included in the executive. But he said he had always been clear since his election at the SACP conference that he had no desire to be in government.

“To those who are saying we are taking this decision because we do not have deployments, I do not care about deployments, I don’t want deployment,” said Mapaila.

“I served in the deployment committee of the ANC for several years, not once did I ever raise my hand. I have been invited by various presidents to come to government, I’ve said no. Even the SACP said ‘go to government’ and I said no. This is not personal, it is about the working class.”

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