Following a meeting earlier this week, the African National Congress (ANC) reaffirmed its commitment to the Tripartite Alliance, which includes the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP), in the face of intensifying service delivery failures and shifting political dynamics.

The bilateral meeting between the ANC and COSATU, the first of its kind in some time, emphasised that the partnership must deepen around shared values and strategic direction, with special attention to implementing the ANC’s 10-Point Economic Action Plan, rooted in the principles of the Freedom Charter.

The meeting was significant given deepening divisions within the Alliance, including reports that the SACP and COSATU have considered contesting future elections independently of the ANC.

Relations between the partners have strained over public sector wage freezes, corruption scandals, and the perceived erosion of the Alliance’s revolutionary mission.

The agenda included plans to rebuild the industrial, mining, and logistics sectors, reinforce support for small, medium, and micro enterprises in townships, and expand regional economic participation beyond metropolitan centres.

Municipal governance reform was also prioritised, with the ANC stressing that integrity in local government and service delivery are essential to restoring legitimacy.

ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said: “The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to the unity and strategic coherence of the Alliance, and to the deepening of socio-economic transformation guided by the Freedom Charter. Both organisations affirmed that the ANC-led Alliance remains the primary political instrument for the realisation of the people's aspirations, and that renewal, discipline, and revolutionary morality must define its cadres in this phase of struggle.”