In a significant development within the ruling Tripartite Alliance, the African National Congress (ANC) has requested members of the South African Communist Party (SACP) to recuse themselves from the ANC’s internal meetings on election strategy. The directive emerged from the ANC’s recent National General Council (NGC) meeting.
SACP Deputy General Secretary, Madala Masuku, confirmed the development in an interview, stating the Communist Party respects the ANC’s decision and was prepared for it.
“We welcome that,” said Masuku, referencing the NGC resolution. “We had already decided that we must give the space to the ANC to have its own space until further notice.”
However, Masuku highlighted a point of confusion between the collective NGC resolution and remarks made by ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa. He noted the NGC spoke of SACP members not participating in election structures, while the President specifically mentioned removing SACP members from strategic meetings of the ANC.
“That one is very different,” Masuku stated. “We’ll have to… interact with the ANC. What is the meaning of that?”
He questioned the practical implication, given the hundreds of SACP members who also hold ANC membership, asking if they would be barred from all strategic ANC forums, including branch meetings.
“We must clarify whether it was not a typo,” Masuku added.
Masuku on ANC Renewal and Alliance Tensions
The interview followed the ANC’s four-day NGC, a mid-term policy conference where party leadership emphasized a project of renewal to regain public trust. Asked if he believed in this renewal drive, Masuku offered cautious support for the framework but stressed the need for action.
“It’s not what you say… it’s responding to it and really taking action to change,” he said.
Masuku welcomed several NGC resolutions, including an acknowledgement that neoliberal policy trajectories are a “detergent of progress,” and an instruction to ANC leadership to expedite a meeting of the Alliance to discuss the SACP’s decision to contest elections independently.
When asked if the current moment represented the lowest point in the decades-long ANC-SACP alliance, Masuku disagreed.
“No, no, no, no,” he responded, framing the tensions as part of a necessary and recurring cycle of intense debate within the liberation movement. He cited historical precedents from the 1960s and 1994.
“This time it is all about whether we should focus on ourselves or focus on the people,” Masuku said. “It is also about our existence.”
He argued that in an era of coalitions, the SACP must contest elections to publicly present its socialist policies and justify its continued existence as a distinct organization within the Alliance.
The ANC has yet to issue a detailed statement clarifying the exact scope of its directive regarding SACP participation in its internal meetings. The development signals a notable recalibration of the Alliance’s working relationship as the country approaches the 2026 local elections.