Alliance Rift on Full Display as SACP Says ANC Will “Never” Change Economic Policy
Tasha Siziba
Boksburg – The political tension inside the Tripartite Alliance burst into full view at the ANC’s 5th National General Council (NGC), with the South African Communist Party openly challenging the ANC’s economic direction and defending its decision to contest elections independently.
SACP Deputy General Secretary Madala Masuku didn’t mince his words, saying the ANC has failed to shift South Africa’s economic foundations since 1994.
“We do not believe the ANC’s economic stance will ever change,” Masuku said, arguing that land reform and control over mineral resources remain unresolved nearly three decades into democracy.
Contesting elections – unity at stake
While Masuku insisted the SACP was warmly received at the NGC, he admitted that some ANC members “are still battling to accept” the party’s decision to contest elections on its own, a move that has rattled the alliance and sparked concerns about fragmentation.
Ramaphosa: You’re confusing voters.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa didn’t shy away from expressing discomfort, warning that the SACP’s independent contestation “threatens the unity and cohesion of the alliance and confuses voters”.
His message was echoed by ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, who said the decision to field independent candidates in the 2021 local elections raises several “practical and political challenges”, including the thorny issue of dual membership.
Tensions spill onto the floor.
At one point, ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe had to step in and call delegates to order just to allow the SACP to deliver its message of support, a telling moment that exposed the sensitivity surrounding the alliance relationship.
An alliance under strain
With the ANC confronting declining support and internal divisions, the SACP’s assertiveness signals a shifting political landscape and a possible realignment on the left.
For now, the NGC stage has made one thing clear: what was once a tightly knit alliance is now negotiating its future in increasingly uncomfortable public view.