The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has called on its roughly 1.5 million members to vote for both the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) in the 4 November local government elections, despite the two parties contesting an election against each other for the first time.

The resolution, adopted at COSATU’s national congress in Kempton Park this week, also reaffirmed the federation’s commitment to the tripartite alliance and called on workers to support both parties.

The decision illustrates the increasingly awkward position of COSATU as the historic alliance (which is nearly 40 years old) between the ANC, SACP, and the trade union federation comes under growing strain.

The split followed the ANC’s loss of its parliamentary majority in May 2024 and its subsequent decision to form a government of national unity with parties including the Democratic Alliance and Freedom Front Plus. The SACP opposed the arrangement and resolved in December 2024 to contest elections independently, ending decades of campaigning exclusively for ANC candidates.

Divisions have since emerged within COSATU itself. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) has endorsed the SACP, while the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU), Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU), and National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) have indicated they will continue supporting the ANC.

The tensions were evident at the congress when ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe walked out without delivering his scheduled address. Mantashe reportedly insisted that the ANC should speak after the SACP, rather than before it, and refused to address delegates when COSATU declined to change the programme.

SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila, meanwhile, defended his party’s decision to contest the elections independently, arguing that loyalty to the alliance should not require the political subordination of the working class. He called for the alliance to be restructured around collective decision-making.

Despite the disagreement, Mantashe subsequently described Cosatu’s resolution to support both parties as “a correct decision”.

The SACP’s electoral prospects remain poor. The party fails to show up in polling from a host of organisations, and in municipal by-elections it has failed to make a mark, with its best performance being the 12% it won in March 2026 in a by-election in the Eastern Cape. That was the only time the SACP has won more than 5% of the vote in a by-election.

COSATU’s attempt to satisfy both alliance partners may preserve an appearance of unity, but it offers little guidance to members who will have to choose between the ANC and SACP on election day.