San Francisco Frontiers - ANC Explores Seat Transfer from SACP Amid Coalition Talks

The African National Congress (ANC) is preparing to approach the South African Communist Party (SACP) to discuss the potential transfer of provincial representation (PR) council seats. This initiative aims to secure council positions for ANC mayoral candidates in Johannesburg who failed to win direct seats through the PR system, following the party’s historic electoral decline in recent local government elections.

A senior member of the Gauteng Provincial Task Team (PTT) confirmed to the Mail & Guardian that Panyaza Lesufi, the convenor of the task team, had informed members about a possible approach to the SACP and other political parties. The objective is to request that these parties donate their PR seats to the ANC.

The urgency of this strategy stems from the fact that the ANC did not win any PR seats in Johannesburg during the recent local government elections. Consequently, all of the party’s mayoral candidates in the city failed to secure seats in the council. The candidates affected by this outcome include Dada Morero, Loyiso Masuku, and Frank Chikane.

While the PTT member acknowledged the strategic necessity, they expressed uncertainty about the feasibility of the plan due to the strained relationship between the ANC and the SACP. "I'm not sure how this is going to work, but I don't think the SACP would allow their candidate not to go to council and then field them with an ANC person," the source stated.

Another member of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) corroborated that the party was considering engaging the SACP to request PR seats in various councils across Gauteng. The NEC member noted that while these conversations were still informal, the SACP had already approached the ANC to discuss coalition arrangements.

However, the SACP has firmly rejected the notion of trading councilors. Mhlekwa Nxumalo, the acting spokesperson for the SACP, stated that any such trade-off would not form part of their negotiations. He emphasized that the councillors elected to represent the party in councils were chosen by communities, civic organizations, and traditional leaders, asserting that these seats belonged to those formations rather than the party leadership.

"We are not going to enter any negotiations regarding those changes," Nxumalo said. "We have not yet begun formal engagement. We had our own meeting yesterday discussing that approach, and we were able to set up certain minimum standards that will guide our negotiations."

Nxumalo outlined one of the key conditions for SACP support: the ANC must not work with the Democratic Alliance (DA) or the Freedom Front Plus if it seeks the SACP’s backing. He added that if these conditions were breached, the SACP would withdraw its support should a coalition be formed.

The discussions take place against a backdrop of intense internal scrutiny within the ANC. On Thursday, the party held an NEC meeting at the Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni to discuss its approach to coalition negotiations. Meanwhile, parties of the left, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the SACP, and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), held their own separate meeting to discuss coalition arrangements.

ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu stated that the party had not adopted a formal position on which parties it would work with. She said the ANC would assess all risks associated with coalition arrangements. In municipalities where the ANC won an outright majority, she noted, the party was already implementing systems to ensure councillor nominees began executing manifesto commitments.

The political landscape has shifted dramatically for the ANC. In 2024, the party lost its outright national majority for the first time since 1994. In the recent local government elections, it received 32.5% of the vote, down from 47.5% in previous polls. These results led to the loss of majorities in all Gauteng metros.

Former President Thabo Mbeki recently commented on the leadership crisis triggered by these losses. In a podcast, Mbeki suggested that President Cyril Ramaphosa would be making the correct decision if he resigned, arguing that leaders typically step down after major disasters. "The leadership takes responsibility. We are at fault. [Fikile] Mbalula called it a catastrophe. How do you continue to lead when you are responsible for a catastrophe?" Mbeki said.

Bhengu responded that Mbeki had every opportunity to engage with ANC leadership directly and that the party strongly supported this position. She added that she had no knowledge of whether Mbeki had been engaged about his concerns.

Internal divisions within the ANC are evident regarding future alliances. Some members believe working with the DA in hung municipalities would be catastrophic, arguing that alliances with left-wing parties are more viable due to shared constituencies and policy positions. Conversely, ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji told the Mail & Guardian that if the entire ANC leadership resigned, it would effectively close down the party and worsen its situation.

Malatji insisted that the ANC must work with the SACP and described the DA as a "no-no." He also criticized the Freedom Front Plus as a "racist organisation." He argued that all NEC members should take responsibility for the party’s decline, not just the top leadership, as they all presided over the elections.

"When we say they must be disbanded, it means you are saying the ANC must close," Malatji said. "There's no structure that can appoint a structure above it."

Meanwhile, ActionSA president Herman Mashaba stated that his party had concluded a working agreement with the Patriotic Alliance and the ANC in Laingsburg Municipality in the Western Cape. Under this agreement, ActionSA would take over the mayoralty as the parties finalize the deal.

Mashaba criticized the DA for ignoring ActionSA during the 2021 coalition formation, stating that it demonstrated the DA’s attitude. He noted that negotiations were ongoing in Gauteng but confirmed that ActionSA had not yet met with the DA in the province.

G.Miller--SFF