How ANC plans to bring back rogue SACP now that Zuma is gone

The relationship between the ANC and its alliance partners – the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) – has weakened in recent years.

Tension within the alliance has intensified in the past couple of years, with the alliance partners openly criticising the leadership of the ruling party and the SACP mentioning an intent to possibly contest elections.

With the relationship within the tripartite alliance at a low, the ANC resolved at its 54th conference last December to strengthen the alliance “and urgently convene a political council of the Alliance to develop a structured programme, to discuss the different positions held by Alliance partners on the configuration of the Alliance”, the conference report states.

At the conference, the ruling party made note of the tension within the alliance and the criticism from its partners and the organisation’s failure to constructively manage this criticism.

It further noted that Cosatu had weakened because of splits and factions with the trade union and the communist party’s talks of contesting elections independently from the alliance.

“The leadership must engage in a humble and listening way with our allies and find constructive ways of resolving current differences,” the party resolved.

It further resolved to “base our Alliance on a clear and simple minimum platform with a programme of action that is implemented and monitored”.

In the resolutions contained in the report of the recent conference, which was made public today, the party called for public spats between alliance partners to be avoided and for the strengthening of the trade union.

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