Tensions within the tripartite alliance have sharpened after ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula delivered a firm warning about the implications of the South African Communist Party’s (SACP) decision to contest next year’s municipal elections independently.

Speaking during the ANC’s National General Council (NGC) in Boksburg, Mbalula described the SACP’s move as “erratic and dangerous”, arguing that it threatens the very foundations of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR), which he insists is led by the ANC. He stressed that an independent electoral path for the SACP could undermine the ideological unity that has traditionally held the alliance together.

Mbalula revealed that the ANC had attempted to persuade the SACP to reconsider its stance but admitted the efforts were unsuccessful. “We have failed to persuade them otherwise. They are steadfast in that decision,” he said. He added that the ANC’s National Executive Committee would now have to examine the practical consequences, particularly the issue of dual membership, which may require Communist Party members to choose between the two organisations.

He further emphasised the need for an urgent alliance summit to address the growing rift, noting that the SACP’s leadership struggled to explain the rationale behind standing alone when delivering their message of support at the NGC plenary.

While Mbalula underscored the ANC’s leadership of the NDR, political analysts say the tensions signal deeper ideological disputes that have resurfaced within the alliance. The renewed debate has placed additional focus on the historical roots and ownership of the NDR, which has guided alliance policy for decades.

As the NGC continues, questions remain about how the ANC and SACP will navigate these divisions — and what the future holds for the alliance as ideological contestation intensifies.