The South African Communist Celebration (SACP) has confirmed that it has no intention of deregistering as a political social gathering regardless of a discover from the Electoral Fee of South Africa (IEC) to cancel its registration. (Photograph by Laird Forbes/Gallo Photos through Getty Photos)
The South African Communist Celebration (SACP) has confirmed that it has no intention of deregistering as a political social gathering regardless of a discover from the Electoral Fee of South Africa (IEC) to cancel its registration.
SACP spokesperson Alex Mashilo mentioned the social gathering has submitted its illustration to the IEC to stay on the official register.
This comes after the IEC issued a discover to 192 political events final week — together with the SACP — to cancel their registration.
The fee acknowledged that the affected events had not met statutory necessities and weren’t represented in any legislative physique. That they had not contested native authorities elections since their registration and had did not renew their registration by the 31 January 2025 deadline.
Mashilo mentioned the social gathering was dedicated to remaining an impartial registered political social gathering and would go forward with its plan to contest the 2026 native authorities elections independently from the ANC, which it has at all times backed throughout elections.
Mashilo mentioned the immediate and “decisive motion” in submitting representations to the electoral physique aligns with resolutions handed throughout a number of of the social gathering’s latest congresses.
“The SACP stays steadfast in its dedication to constructing working-class energy and pursuing socialist transformation in South Africa. Our resolution to contest the 2026 native authorities elections is knowledgeable by our strategic goal of deepening democracy and shifting the stability of forces in favour of the working class,” Mashilo mentioned.
The SACP has traditionally functioned as an ally of the ANC within the tripartite alliance, which incorporates labour federation Cosatu. Though SACP members have stood as ANC candidates in elections, the social gathering itself has by no means contested beneath its personal banner.
However tensions within the alliance have grown lately, with the SACP more and more vocal in its criticism of the ANC’s financial insurance policies, governance failures and dealing with of corruption scandals.
Final 12 months SACP chief Solly Mapaila mentioned the social gathering’s resolution to contest independently was as a result of they felt uncared for by the ANC.
Mapaila criticised the ANC as being “weak”, which he mentioned has led to his social gathering in search of autonomy and deciding to contest future elections alone, arguing that the “conceitedness of political energy” led to its resolution.
Mashilo mentioned though the social gathering has determined to go it alone on the polls, the choice doesn’t signify an outright break from the alliance, however quite a mandatory step in advancing working-class pursuits.
“The alliance stays an essential terrain of wrestle, however the SACP should additionally strengthen its organisational independence and assert itself as a political power in its personal proper,” he mentioned.
Mashilo added that the social gathering would contest all of the wards within the municipal elections independently.
The IEC’s discover comes because the social gathering meets the ANC to debate its resolution to go alone on the polls.
The transfer has sparked blended reactions within the political sphere with analysts viewing it as a pure evolution of the SACP’s function, given its long-standing ideological variations with the ANC.
Cosatu expressed its help for the SACP’s resolution to contest the 2026 municipal elections.
The labour federation’s deputy president, Mike Shingange, criticised the ANC for sidelining alliance companions in the course of the formation of the federal government of nationwide unity (GNU) after final 12 months’s Could elections and failing to debate this meaningfully with its allies.
He warned that the ANC’s collaboration with the Democratic Alliance within the unity authorities was alienating its base, including that there have been coverage clashes such because the DA’s opposition to the nationwide minimal wage, the Fundamental Training Legal guidelines Modification Act and the Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage.
“Don’t power us to like individuals who hate us,” Shingange mentioned, referencing the DA’s ideological opposition to the alliance’s working-class priorities.
He added that the ANC management had did not uphold the ideas of the alliance, leaving Cosatu and the SACP no selection however to claim themselves independently.
ANC leaders together with Gwede Mantashe, deputy president Paul Mashatile and Fikile Mbalula have beforehand argued that contesting elections independently might pressure the alliance additional and weaken the broader leftist motion within the nation.
However in December, Mashatile acknowledged the criticisms by the SACP and dedicated to rebuilding unity within the alliance.
Mashatile mentioned the ANC would work to revive belief and be sure that the alliance continues to signify the pursuits of the poor and dealing class.