JOHANNESBURG - ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned alliance partner South African Communist Party (SACP) not to go alone in the elections.
He says this move threatens the alliance and risks confusing voters.
Ramaphosa delivered his warning at the party's fifth National General Council, in Boksburg on Monday as it wrestles with declining electoral fortunes.
"We must acknowledge that the decision by the SACP to contest elections separately threatens the unity of the alliance. Recent by-elections held in various parts of the country has shown that being divided wreaks consequences of causing major losses," he said.
Weighing in on the current status of the party political analyst, Professor Roger Southall, says the ANC succession battle will only start heating up after next year's local government elections.
READ| ANC convenes fifth National General Council
According to Southall should the party do well in the local polls, then ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa may just finish his term.
“I don't think the ANC succession is really up until the next elections, until the local elections are over. Think most observers are fairly confident about that. And whatever conversations there may be going on within the party at the moment, I think they're entirely preliminary."
Southhall cautions that what happens after the local elections may be a little bit of a different ballgame.
"There'll be two things to consider there. First of all, the level of ANC performance. And if the ANC does better than expected, then so Ramaphosa's chances of finishing his term will obviously be improved.
"On the other hand, if they're worse than previously, then the calculation will have to be drawn. Was this the fault of Ramaphosa's leadership or was it deeper causes? And that's not going to be an easy thing to resolve.
"And it wouldn't necessarily easily be resolved by changing the leadership early. In fact, that might send a signal out to the public that in fact the ANC is just the same old ANC doing the same old things one time after another," he said.