The Tripartite Alliance is facing its biggest stress test in decades, with COSATU warning that the ANC and SACP going head-to-head in the 2026 local government elections could crack the historic pact if not handled with extreme care.
For the first time in democratic history, the ANC and its long-time ally the SACP will contest local polls as rivals, not comrades.
What started as ideological differences has now turned into a full-blown electoral battle, and the federation at the centre of the Alliance is ringing alarm bells.
COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator Matthew Parks has issued a blunt warning that the rivalry is already creating tensions that could weaken the Alliance and cost it the confidence of the working class.
“We are concerned about tensions and differences within the Alliance over both Alliance Partners contesting the local elections,” Parks said.
The ANC and SACP, together with COSATU, have for over 30 years presented themselves as a united front championing workers and the poor.
Now they will be fighting for the same wards, the same votes and the same councillor seats.
Parks said COSATU has appealed to both parties to find a way to compete without destroying the movement.
“Cosatu has appealed to our Alliance partners to engage on and resolve these differences and to do so in a manner that unites and does not divide the Alliance,” he said.
That includes thrashing out a united front approach to the elections, even while contesting separately.
“Including formulating a united front towards the local elections and the modalities for both Alliance Partners contesting them,” Parks said.
But the warning was stark: if egos and factional battles take over, the Alliance could be left in tatters.
“If not handled sensitively and respecting all Alliance Partners, it can divide and weaken the Alliance and impact upon its ability to win the confidence of the working class and voters,” he said.
The ANC is at its weakest since 1994 after losing its outright majority in 2024, while the SACP is trying to prove it can stand on its own beyond the ANC’s shadow.
COSATU says whatever happens at the ballot box, the two parties will have to work together afterwards – or risk handing municipalities to opposition coalitions.
“Post-election cooperation is crucial not only to uniting and strengthening the Alliance but also to ensuring stable local government and municipalities that are biased towards working class communities and deliver quality basic services,” Parks said.
In a twist of irony, the ANC’s own administrative chaos could force cooperation sooner than expected.
The party has been hit by a debacle over candidate registration in several municipalities, with some ANC candidates failing to make it onto the ballot due to internal blunders.
COSATU believes this could be an opportunity to keep the Alliance alive.
“The debacle surrounding ANC candidates’ registration in some municipalities presents an opportunity to unite the Alliance,” Parks said.
“As in those instances where the SACP candidates are registered in those municipalities, the SACP will assist in ensuring that ANC voters have a voice.”
The SACP argues it can no longer hide behind the ANC and must contest to advance working-class interests directly, while the ANC sees the SACP’s decision as a betrayal that could split the left vote and hand power to the DA, EFF and MK Party.
Behind closed doors, tensions have been boiling for months.
The SACP has accused the ANC of abandoning the National Democratic Revolution and embracing neoliberal policies, while ANC leaders have accused communists of opportunism and of trying to eat from both sides – enjoying Cabinet posts while campaigning against the ANC.