Mbalula acknowledged that the SACP’s decision to contest independently carries electoral risk for the ANC
The ANC has issued a firm directive to its members ahead of the 2026 local government elections, but secretary-general Fikile Mbalula insists the South African Communist Party (SACP) remains a comrade, not an adversary, despite the alliance’s deepening crisis.
Mbalula says no hostility between ANC and SACP
The party convened a Special National Executive Committee on 10 April 2026, reaching what it described as a decisive set of resolutions on organisational discipline ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
At the centre of those resolutions was the SACP’s decision to contest elections independently, a position adopted at its 2022 National Congress and reaffirmed in 2024.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula was unambiguous that the party’s stance toward the SACP is not one of hostility.
“Our stance in terms of this decision is not inimical to the Communist Party,” he said.
“That is why we are not going to call the Communist Party an enemy of the revolution.”
The NEC reaffirmed that while dual membership between the ANC and SACP remains constitutionally protected, the ANC’s own constitution is equally explicit that no member may stand for election, campaign, or canvass in opposition to an ANC-endorsed candidate.
That provision, Mbalula stressed, is binding on all members without exception, including those holding dual membership with the SACP.
‘Communists won’t be hunted’
Members have been given 10 days to declare whether they will campaign for the ANC or another political formation.
The directive has drawn comparisons to an ultimatum, a characterisation Mbalula flatly rejected. “I’ve never used the word ultimatum or deadline,” he said.
“We give 10 days from now for people to pronounce themselves.”
He went on to describe how a loyal SACP member should navigate the situation: one simply writes to the secretary-general, acknowledges ANC membership, and requests to be excused from ANC election structures for the duration of the campaign.
“No communist shall be hunted in the ANC,” Mbalula said, “and anyone who does so will face consequences equally.”
He drew a sharp distinction between practical electoral separation and political enmity.
“Communist Party members in the ANC are not our enemies, and they will not be treated as enemies,” he said. “We have never characterised them in our strategy and tactics as enemies or counterrevolutionaries.”
Alliance is strained, not severed
Despite the tensions, both Mbalula and ANC Deputy Secretary-General Nomvula Mokonyane, who also addressed the press conference, were insistent that the alliance remains intact.
The NEC reaffirmed its commitment to the revolutionary alliance, describing it as rooted in a shared history of struggle and a common commitment to the National Democratic Revolution.
Mokonyane noted that the situation on the ground had already become a reality well before this moment, pointing to instances in which the SACP had contested by-elections against ANC candidates.
“It’s not even an issue about the coming elections,” she said. “We have had the experience, but of now, since the congress resolution of the party, the party had already moved.”
She was equally clear that competition did not mean the end of the relationship.
“What we have edged and agreed upon in our last meeting was that it must not be antagonistic. It must be about what you stand for and what we stand for. Because we will need each other beyond the elections.”
On the SACP’s future and the ANC’s honesty
Mbalula acknowledged that the SACP’s decision to contest independently carries real electoral risk for the broader democratic movement, and for the ANC itself.
Votes drawn from the same pool could weaken both. But he was equally candid that the ANC cannot force the SACP’s hand.
“We are pained by this decision of the party, but there’s nothing we can do,” he said.
He also offered a broader reflection on what the Communist Party has historically meant to the ANC, describing SACP cadres as among the most disciplined and ideologically grounded members the movement has produced.
That quality, he noted with regret, has eroded over time. However, he was quick to add that the ANC has suffered similarly.
On the question of a possible alliance between the SACP, EFF and MK party, Mbalula did not dismiss it outright.
“It is possible that the Communist Party in this left conference sees these parties as part of the left that they need to work with,” he said. “They have not briefed us about it.”
As for the conference of the left itself, Mbalula confirmed the ANC had received an invitation and would reflect on it carefully.
“We can’t just jump into a conference of the left,” he said. “We need a thorough understanding of what it wants to achieve.”