SACP and ANC clash over elections, but say alliance holds

By Johnathan Paoli

Differences over electoral strategy emerged during the 31st annual Joe Slovo Commemoration, where both the SACP and the ANC openly articulated their opposing views on the former’s decision to contest the upcoming local government elections independently, while simultaneously affirming that the move does not amount to a break from the Tripartite Alliance.

SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila used his keynote address to defend the party’s decision as a necessary intervention to rescue working-class politics and restore credibility to local government, rejecting claims that the move signals hostility towards the ANC or an abandonment of alliance unity.

Earlier, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa cautioned that the decision risks weakening the alliance and confusing voters, describing it as a strategic mistake; even as he stressed continued respect, dialogue and shared revolutionary purpose.

Mapaila framed the SACP’s electoral move as the product of more than two decades of internal debate, rooted