In an article in its weekly ANC Today newsletter, the party says the behaviour of the South African Communist Party (SACP) risks collapsing the tripartite alliance. The tripartite alliance is a union between the ANC, the SACP, and unions that has historically contested elections as a single bloc.

However, the SACP has of late made moves to split from the ANC and contest elections in its own right.

The ANC remains critical of these moves, writing that, “if the SACP decides to contest elections, what would still be the purpose of the Alliance? It looks like the Alliance would be of no significance if parties would be vying for the same electorate”.

According to the ANC, “fears of the total collapse of the ANC alliance with the SACP are real and that, [the] provocative, hostile tone, and unsavoury terms used by the SACP General Secretary at every conceivable platform to describe the ANC, e.g. ‘arrogant’, ‘bullying’, ‘neoliberal’, etc., coupled with innuendos and insinuations, are not reconciliatory, or showing intention of trying to salvage the Alliance”.

The ANC further accused the SACP of “continuing to talk about [a] purported, but unproven abusive relationship [with the SACP]” and added that “the timing of the SACP decision [to contest elections in its own name] is misguided, because both the ANC and SACP need each other now more than ever before…The ANC lost the 2024 national elections with the Alliance still intact. What then gives people false impressions that the two parties would perform better whilst divided?”.

Analysts at The Common Sense hold the view that the splintering of the alliance will have a minimal impact on ANC electoral support, given that ANC voter behaviour is motivated chiefly by material living standards and employment levels.