JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) will send formal letters to all party members, demanding clarity on political allegiance.
It warns that failure to respond will carry consequences.
The move comes as the South African Communist Party (SACP) prepares to contest local government elections independently.
ANC secretary general, Fikile Mbalula, said members will have ten days to declare if they will campaign for the ANC or the SACP.
Mbalula was speaking at a media briefing on the party's Local Government Action Plan on Monday.
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Central to his remarks was the issue of dual membership.
Mbalula said while the ANC Constitution allows for dual membership, the current reality has shifted with SACP now also intending to contest the elections.
"If now the Communist Party is a party on its own, is campaigning, and therefore you are a SACP member and you campaign for the SACP, you will have to choose the SACP and then you have to respond to us so that our task is easier," he added.
However, he stressed that the ANC would not chase communists out of the ANC because the alliance is not broken.
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ANC Deputy Secretary-General Nomvula Mokonyane reintegrated their position, saying they are not forcing SACP members to resign but be clear on where their loyalty lies ahead of the elections.
'We don't expect anyone to resign from being a member of the SACP going into these local government elections. Comrades must make a choice, and those comrades will then be expected to make a choice that is good for themselves and for the party that they would want to go and campaign for," she said, adding that this is not an anti-SACP position.