SACP will contest local elections alone But more than anything, it is apparent that daggers are being drawn between the two, as ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula vows that any members campaigning for, or voting for, the SACP will be severely punished. That’s strong language to use against a partner that still wants to remain in the relationship. Analysts believe this is a sign that the ANC alliance is close to death, a development they say has long been overdue.

Mbalula, addressing a media briefing in Johannesburg recently, warned all ANC members to stay away from campaigning or voting for the Communist Party in the polls, otherwise they would face the music. “You have to choose – the SACP or the ANC. There will be consequences for ANC members who campaign for the SACP,” Mbalula said.

He cautioned members who might want to practice what he termed “dual voting”, which the ANC rejected because its constitution disallowed it. “You can’t campaign for both – you must choose,” Mbalula said. SACP or ANC – Mbalula He said now that the SACP has decided to stand on its own, the ANC constitution will kick in.

Although Mbalula did not elaborate, the ANC constitution prohibits a member from campaigning for another party while still a party member. Mbalula said the alliance would remain intact and the SACP would not abandon it, but would only contest separately from the ANC. He said that, unlike the formation of Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party, which he described as a “volcano that was meant to disrupt”, the SACP had informed the ANC of its decision to go it alone.

Although the ANC had to accept what it could not control, it remains opposed to the SACP’s resolution. Political science and international relations expert from Unisa, Dominic Maphaka, said the SACP is politically irrelevant and therefore unlikely to get electoral support. He said the SACP is unknown to South Africa’s voters.

“The SACP standalone posture will further deepen the loss of trust and confidence by the masses in the ANC. For voters, the party [ANC] will appear as an untrusted organisation that is even divorced by its longtime ally. Experts doubt SACP gains support “However, the SACP standalone cannot benefit itself because it has long compromised its policies to appease the largely neoliberal ANC.

“The voters would rather go for EFF and other left parties that stood firm on identity and political posture. The SACP will eventually realign with the ANC after the reconciliation that is made by each newly elected ANC president. “This has been the trend since the unceremonial removal of Thabo Mbeki and his replacement with Jacob Zuma.” Other analysts previously told The Citizen that the SACP would not dent the ANC’s electoral performance, due to the party’s tiny electoral support. They said it was clear it would fragment the ANC electorate and further reduce its poll percentage, but the SACP would be the hardest hit by voter anger because it is as guilty as the ANC in neglecting voters.