JOHANNESBURG, Tuesday 25 August 2026 — The Congress of South African Trade Unions will decide next month whether to maintain its traditional electoral support for the ANC or accommodate support for the SACP, as divisions among its affiliates expose a significant new fault line ahead of the 4 November local government elections.
COSATU parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks said affiliates are obtaining mandates from their members before the federation’s 15th National Congress, where delegates will determine its position on an election in which two of its longstanding alliance partners will compete directly against each other.
The federation currently has a standing resolution supporting the African National Congress in elections. That position has become more complicated after the South African Communist Party decided to contest the 2026 municipal elections independently rather than campaign alongside the ANC.
Parks said COSATU’s congress would have to determine whether the federation continues supporting the ANC, backs the SACP, supports both parties or adopts another position.
Individual affiliates have already begun taking different sides.
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union has resolved to support the ANC, while the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union has backed the SACP’s independent electoral campaign.
Parks said other affiliates are conducting their own processes before taking mandates to the national congress.
He stressed that COSATU has not withdrawn its support for the ANC and said the federation intends to remain part of the Tripartite Alliance regardless of the electoral decision eventually taken.
The disagreement nevertheless marks an unusual electoral situation for the alliance.
For decades, the ANC, SACP and COSATU have operated as political allies, with communist and trade-union leaders participating in ANC election campaigns rather than contesting separately.
The SACP’s decision means the ANC and communists will now compete directly for votes in municipal elections, including among working-class voters who have historically formed an important part of the alliance’s support base.
The tension was visible at the ANC’s local government election manifesto launch in Diepsloot on Sunday.
The SACP was omitted from the traditional alliance messages of support at the event, with ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe saying the party had chosen to “walk away” by contesting independently. COSATU and the South African National Civic Organisation remained on the programme.
The ANC’s National Executive Committee has previously warned that independent SACP participation could divide its traditional electoral constituency and weaken the broader alliance. The ANC has nevertheless said it remains committed to the alliance despite the parties competing against each other.
The SACP argues that contesting independently is necessary to strengthen working-class representation in local government and give communities a direct electoral alternative.
The issue has particular relevance to municipal elections because organised labour has significant membership in the public sector and municipalities, while service delivery, municipal finances and employment are prominent issues in the campaign.
Parks said unemployment, stagnant wages, crime, corruption and declining municipal services were among the main concerns being raised by COSATU members.
The federation’s eventual decision could therefore affect campaign organisation and voter mobilisation for both the ANC and SACP in the final weeks before polling day.
More importantly, the congress will test whether COSATU can maintain a common electoral position when its two principal political allies are competing for the same voters for the first time in a nationwide municipal election.
The federation is expected to settle its position when delegates meet at its national congress in September.
