JOHANNESBURG - ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that SACP’s move to contest the 2026 General Elections on its own will threaten the tripartite alliance.
The SA Communist Party has confirmed it will run independently.
It’s a major shift for a party that has always campaigned alongside the ANC.
SACP spokesperson Mbulelo Mandlana said, "The alliance is not built on a guarantee that the Communist Party will never contest elections."
"We've been discussing this matter since the end of last year, the fact that up to now the Communist Party persists on its position should mean the ANC should accept this position and reorganise itself so that it can deal with an alliance partner that will be on the ballot," he said.
We must acknowledge that the decision by the SACP to contest elections separately threatens the unity and cohesion of the Alliance.
https://t.co/JQqUg7QVRF— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) December 8, 2025
Mandlana said the Party is not opposed to re-configuring the tripartite alliance and said its participation in elections would not preclude the reconfiguration.
WATCH: Discussion | SACP to contest 2026 local government elections separately
The Party spokesperson said they await action from the ANC to proceed.
The SACP called for seriousness, clarity, and certainty when asked about the ANC renewal project underway.
"We support the idea of renewal but we do know that the idea of renewal itself, even in the leadership of [former] president [Jacob] Zuma for example, with all his problematic legacy: the word of renewal was used."
"We think that at this time there must be more seriousness, and much more dedication about the clarity and certainty when it is deployed and that it must produce results," Mandlana said.