Battle for 2026 heats up: Mantashe purged by SACP?

Questions have been raised about whether the SACP is on a mission to purge senior ANC leaders within its ranks.

This comes after the party confirmed on Sunday that it has removed ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe from its Central Committee. The Central Committee is the highest decision-making body in the party between conferences.

Mantashe has been a member of the SACP for over 20 years. However, he is being accused of missing several important meetings without an apology, as well as not being present at the SACP’s last congress.

Mantashe stripped of leadership roles

SACP spokesperson Mbulelo Mandlana told The Citizen that the party, in line with its constitution, has relieved Mantashe of all his leadership roles in the party.

“The decision of the Central Committee to relieve Comrade Gwede Mantashe of his position and duties as a central committee member and a member of the Politburo of the SACP means he is only a member of the SACP and no longer in its leadership,” said Mandlana.

He said Mantashe has been informed of this decision.

“His response to this decision is a matter between him and the party,” said Mandlana.

Mantashe’s removal from the central committee comes as the SACP prepares to face off with the ANC at next year’s local government elections.

SACP’s history of purges

The SACP denied that Mantashe is being purged. However, political analyst, Ntsikelelo Breakfast, from the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) told The Citizen that the SACP has a history of booting leaders with “divergent” views.

“That has happened, even at the time when they were preparing for the Polokwane conference. At the conference, there were people who held divergent views and did not want Zuma to be supported; they were purged.

“The argument that they are putting forward is not an honest argument,” he said.

Breakfast said the SACP could be scared that Mantashe has influence on top structures of both the party and the ANC.

“They are scared that there might be conflict of interest and that there might be trust issues, which is the reason that he was let go,” he said.

He also questioned the timing of the announcement.

“Why all of a sudden, when they are debating the upcoming local government elections and discussing how they are going to contest elections for the first time without the ANC, do they decide to let him go?”

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Implications for the SACP

Theo Neethling from the University of Free State (UFS) told The Citizen that Mantashe’s removal from the central committee came as a surprise.

“The SACP’s removal of Gwede Mantashe from its central committee, ostensibly because of missed meetings, was a startling development, particularly given Mantashe’s stature as a key figure in both parties. His exclusion, coming at a time of heightened friction over the SACP’s independent electoral ambitions,” he said.

He said there could be implications for SACP deployees to government positions.

“While the immediate implications for the deployment of SACP members in government may be limited, the longer-term impact will hinge on whether the party can establish itself as a credible force outside the shelter of the ANC,” he said.

Neethling said the SACP’s decision to contest local government elections has worsened relations between the Tripartite alliance.

“The SACP’s breakaway move does more than challenge the ANC’s dominance; it tests the very durability of an alliance that has shaped South African politics for generations.

“If the rift deepens, the reverberations could extend well beyond 2026, forcing both parties to redefine their political identities in an evolving and competitive electoral environment,” he said.

Although members are allowed to hold SACP and ANC membership simultaneously, the ANC’s secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, recently said ANC members may have to choose between the two because of the SACP’s decision to campaign for the local government elections.

The Citizen has reached out to the ANC for comment. This article will be updated as soon as the comment is received.

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