‘We must unite the alliance’ — COSATU torn between ANC and SACP ahead of 2026 local polls
COSATU leaders say the federation has not yet decided whether to back the ANC or the SACP in the 2026 local government elections.
Image: Cosatu/X
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) says it has not yet decided whether it will support the African National Congress (ANC) or the South African Communist Party (SACP) in the 2026 local government elections.
The trade union federation says it wants to continue working with both parties and ensure unity within the tripartite alliance.
This comes after the SACP announced it would contest the 2026 local elections independently.
The ANC and COSATU held a bilateral meeting in Johannesburg on Monday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, COSATU parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks said the federation’s focus remained on uniting the alliance.
“We discussed the issue of the ANC and the SACP, and our bottom line is we want to unite the alliance. We want to continue our relationship with the ANC,” Parks said.
He added that COSATU also intended to maintain its relationship with the SACP.
“They both have different roles to play. They are complementary roles. But I think the message from our workers and our delegates at our Central Committee is that we must unite the alliance,” he said.
“It was a meeting of the ANC and the SACP, and whatever approach we have for the local elections next year, we need to make sure we’re all on the same page. We cannot afford to be divided.”
Parks said further discussions with the SACP would take place and that an alliance meeting between all partners had yet to be scheduled.
The ANC, COSATU, and the SACP formed the tripartite alliance in 1990 and have historically contested elections under the ANC banner.
However, tensions within the alliance have been growing, with the SACP recently resolving to contest independently. The communist party has long opposed the Government of National Unity (GNU), which includes the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Freedom Front Plus, arguing that the coalition does not represent the working class and black South Africans.
Despite the ANC’s opposition to the move, the SACP has vowed to stand on its own in the 2026 polls.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula responded to the SACP’s decision during his opening address at the ANC’s Mpumalanga Provincial General Council meeting at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, October 18.
Mbalula said the move “does not shake” the ANC, claiming the SACP “never brought numbers” to the party.
“As the ANC, we must not give up on the SACP,” he said. “Others say they don’t have numbers, but when we go to by-elections, they come back with 70%. They were not formed for numbers. The best thinkers and ideologues in the ANC have always been communists.”
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula speaks at the party’s Mpumalanga Provincial General Council meeting at Mbombela Stadium on 18 October, where he downplayed the SACP’s decision to contest the 2026 elections alone.
Image: X/ANC
He added that the SACP brought “quality, not quantity” to the ANC.
“Communist party never came to the ANC with numbers,” Mbalula said.
“When we see them getting three or four votes, we know that’s not their thing. They brought quality - they shaped our direction and our political education.”
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