The South African Communist Party (SACP) has announced it will contest the next local government elections under its own banner, a move highlighting growing tensions in the ANC-led tripartite alliance.

This decision emerged from a meeting of the SACP Central Committee held over the weekend. The SACP said: “the SACP will contest the 2026 local government elections to defend, advance and deepen the national democratic revolution in connection with the pursuit of socialism while confronting the failed neo-liberal policy regime imposed since 1996 under Gear and subsequent reformist policies.”

The SACP said the country's problems were because “the commanding heights of the economy remain firmly in monopoly capitalist hands, largely white-owned and tied to global finance”.

It also said that “neo-liberal structural reforms” targeted “key infrastructure, including electricity, rail, ports, water and the high radio frequency spectrum, which was auctioned to the highest bidders, reinforcing the Vodacom and MTN duopoly as the two captured the lion's share of this productive national asset.”

It also said that it would be challenging the South African banking system by: “advancing the establishment of a co-operative banking system to break the grip of capitalist finance and ensure that people's savings serve development rather than private profit.”

It also commented on the global situation that it was “marked by American aggression”.

The SACP plans to convene a “Conference of the Left aimed at forging a broad left popular front in the period ahead,” underscoring its intent to reshape South Africa’s political landscape significantly.

However, it remains to be seen how well the party does, with little evidence that it enjoys broad support among South Africans.