Rifts in the Tripartite Alliance: ANC and SACP clash ahead of local elections

TENSIONS within the Tripartite Alliance between the ANC, SACP, and Cosatu have come to the fore after an incident in Mpumalanga where SACP members were asked to leave an ANC election workshop.

- MASHUDU SADIKE

The workshop, aimed at strategising for the 2026 Local Government Elections, has exposed deepening divisions within the alliance.

ANC Deputy Secretary-General Nomvula Mokonyane issued a directive, asking SACP delegates to leave the workshop, citing that the party would not strategise with a group intending to contest elections independently.

This move has drawn criticism from senior SACP leaders, who accuse Mokonyane of divisiveness and of breaking the relationship between the parties.

Sources say there will be talks between the ANC and the SACP that will focus on what will happen to SACP members placed in top positions by the ANC, including SACP chairperson and Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation Blade Nzimande.

SACP national spokesperson Mbulelo Ndlazana blamed the ANC leadership in Mpumalanga for failing to address the matter before extending an invitation.