SACP will contest 2026 municipal elections independent of ANC – The Mail & Guardian

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has confirmed that it has no intention of deregistering as a political party despite a notice from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to cancel its registration. (Photo by Laird Forbes/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has confirmed that it has no intention of deregistering as a political party despite a notice from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to cancel its registration.

SACP spokesperson Alex Mashilo said the party has submitted its representation to the IEC to remain on the official register.

This comes after the IEC issued a notice to 192 political parties last week — including the SACP — to cancel their registration. 

The commission stated that the affected parties had not met statutory requirements and were not represented in any legislative body. They had not contested local government elections since their registration and had failed to renew their registration by the 31 January 2025 deadline.

Mashilo said the party was committed to remaining an independent registered political party and would go ahead with its plan to contest the 2026 local government elections independently from the ANC, which it has always backed during elections. 

Mashilo said the prompt and “decisive action” in submitting representations to the electoral body aligns with resolutions passed during several of the party’s recent congresses.

“The SACP remains steadfast in its commitment to building working-class power and pursuing socialist transformation in South Africa. Our decision to contest the 2026 local government elections is informed by our strategic objective of deepening democracy and shifting the balance of forces in favour of the working class,” Mashilo said.

The SACP has historically functioned as an ally of the ANC in the tripartite alliance, which includes labour federation Cosatu. Although SACP members have stood as ANC candidates in elections, the party itself has never contested under its own banner.

But tensions in the alliance have grown in recent years, with the SACP increasingly vocal in its criticism of the ANC’s economic policies, governance failures and handling of corruption scandals. 

Last year SACP leader Solly Mapaila said the party’s decision to contest independently was because they felt neglected by the ANC.

Mapaila criticised the ANC as being “weak”, which he said has led to his party seeking autonomy and deciding to contest future elections alone, arguing that the “arrogance of political power” led to its decision. 

Mashilo said although the party has decided to go it alone at the polls, the decision does not signify an outright break from the alliance, but rather a necessary step in advancing working-class interests. 

“The alliance remains an important terrain of struggle, but the SACP must also strengthen its organisational independence and assert itself as a political force in its own right,” he said.

Mashilo added that the party would contest all the wards in the municipal elections independently.

The IEC’s notice comes as the party meets the ANC to discuss its decision to go alone at the polls. 

The move has sparked mixed reactions in the political sphere with analysts viewing it as a natural evolution of the SACP’s role, given its long-standing ideological differences with the ANC. 

Cosatu expressed its support for the SACP’s decision to contest the 2026 municipal elections. 

The labour federation’s deputy president, Mike Shingange, criticised the ANC for sidelining alliance partners during the formation of the government of national unity (GNU) after last year’s May elections and failing to discuss this meaningfully with its allies.

He warned that the ANC’s collaboration with the Democratic Alliance in the unity government was alienating its base, adding that there were policy clashes such as the DA’s opposition to the national minimum wage, the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act and the National Health Insurance.

“Do not force us to love people who hate us,” Shingange said, referencing the DA’s ideological opposition to the alliance’s working-class priorities. 

He added that the ANC leadership had failed to uphold the principles of the alliance, leaving Cosatu and the SACP no choice but to assert themselves independently. 

ANC leaders including Gwede Mantashe, deputy president Paul Mashatile and Fikile Mbalula have previously argued that contesting elections independently could strain the alliance further and weaken the broader leftist movement in the country.

But in December, Mashatile acknowledged the criticisms by the SACP and committed to rebuilding unity in the alliance. 

Mashatile said the ANC would work to restore trust and ensure that the alliance continues to represent the interests of the poor and working class.