ANC requires dual members to choose between party and SACP ahead of 2026 elections
The directive applies to campaigning but not membership, affecting senior figures including three current ministers.
ANC requires dual members to choose between party and SACP ahead of 2026 elections
The directive applies to campaigning but not membership, affecting senior figures including three current ministers.
The African National Congress has instructed members who also belong to the South African Communist Party to declare which organisation they will campaign for ahead of the 2026 local government elections, with the requirement taking effect from Thursday.1
The directive applies as the ANC begins selecting mayoral candidates for municipal polls and is based on Rule 25.17.14 of the party constitution, which prohibits members from campaigning for another political party.1 The ANC has clarified that dual membership itself will continue to be permitted.1
"Dual membership of the SACP will remain. But there is no dual contesting of elections. When you contest, you choose whether you support the party or the ANC," ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said.1
The decision places several senior government figures under scrutiny, including Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela, and Deputy Finance Minister David Masondo, all of whom hold membership in both organisations.1
The ANC has not indicated whether members who choose to campaign for the SACP would face disciplinary action, though the constitutional provision allows for sanctions in cases of non-compliance.1
The party instructed all regional and branch executive committees to convene special meetings across the country this weekend to brief members on the National Executive Committee decision.2 Mbalula said the ANC would brief alliance partners and internal structures including the Veterans League, Women's League, and Youth League before holding a media briefing in Johannesburg on Monday.2
The move follows the SACP's stated intentions to independently contest elections.2 The ANC and SACP are longstanding allies within the tripartite alliance alongside Cosatu, though tensions have emerged periodically over electoral strategy, particularly at the local level.1