THE SACP’S “ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE” DILEMMA

SACP General Secretary, Solly Mapaila.

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has officially responded to a high-stakes briefing by the ANC regarding its decision to contest the 2026 local government elections independently. Following a bilateral meeting at Luthuli House, the SACP remains firm in its resolution to run on its own, yet the party appears trapped in a political paradox.

The ANC’s Special National Executive Committee has reportedly laid down an ultimatum: members must choose between the ANC and the SACP before the polls. While the SACP publicly insists that dual membership is an “asset” and not a “punishable offence,” the threat of being purged from the ANC’s electoral structures looms large.

This pressure is felt most acutely in Limpopo. In the recent 11th Provincial Conference, SACP leaders “scored big,” securing dominant positions within the ANC’s provincial executive and working committees. With top government jobs and executive perks at stake, many wonder if these seasoned leaders will actually choose the “hard slog” of independent socialism over the comfort of their current offices.

Critics point to the SACP’s recent poor performance in provincial by-elections as a sign of the party’s struggle to find its feet outside the ANC’s shadow. Without the ANC’s machinery, the SACP has often failed to turn its ideological support into actual votes.

Dr. Devan Pillay recently captured this struggle, noting that while the SACP wishes to be a credible democratic-left alternative, it remains “stuck”. Pillay remarked that the party has “one foot in the grave,” with the ANC acting as that grave. The SACP cannot move out completely to become a truly independent force; it remains half in and half out.

The SACP’s latest statement reflects this tension. It calls for “rules of engagement” to manage the election period, yet it also admits that the ANC has not given sufficient attention to the task teams meant to figure out these rules. Despite this, the SACP maintains there is “no contradiction” between contesting the ANC at the ballot box and remaining in a revolutionary alliance with them.

For the rank-and-file, the question is simple: can a party be a rival and a partner at the same time? As the ANC moves to protect its own electoral interests, the SACP’s leaders in government will soon have to decide if they are willing to step out of the “grave” and risk their careers for the sake of their socialist convictions. For now, the party is trying to hold onto its perks while claiming its independence, a balancing act that is becoming harder to maintain.