Left parties explore governing without ANC in hung councils

A grouping of left-leaning parties is emerging after the local government elections, with the SACP, MK Party, EFF and Afrika Mayibuye indicating that they can take power in some municipalities without the ANC.

The grouping has come together after an election in which ANC support fell to just over 30% nationally. In several hung councils, the balance of power has changed, and left-leaning parties are assessing whether they can govern without depending on the ANC.

For the SACP, MK, EFF and Mayibuye, the position is that the ANC is no longer the centre of local government. The parties say they can pool their seats, agree on a shared programme, and form councils that do not need ANC votes.

The council of the left is not a formal coalition with one national agreement. It is developing as a political alignment in municipalities where the numbers allow it, and where the parties share opposition to the ANC and, in many cases, to the DA.

In those municipalities, the calculation involves both numbers and politics. Together, the left parties say they hold enough seats to elect mayors, speakers and committee chairpersons. They also say they share common ground on service delivery, insourcing, land, and opposition to privatisation.

The ANC, which is meeting to set guidelines for its own coalition negotiations, is facing a challenge from a bloc that says it does not need to be included.

In previous coalition talks in hung councils, discussions have centred on whether the ANC or the DA would lead. The council of the left is presenting a third option: a government built from parties outside the two largest blocs.

The grouping says the ANC’s decline is linked to service delivery failures. It points to water interruptions, sewage spillages, billing failures, financial distress and unfulfilled commitments in municipalities the ANC has governed. It says voters have delivered their verdict, and that the ANC cannot expect other parties to support it in council chambers.

The SACP contested the elections separately from the ANC for the first time. The MK Party has grown since its formation and has positioned itself as a challenger to the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal and in other provinces. The EFF has maintained its presence in councils across the country. Mayibuye, a newer entrant, has added seats in key municipalities.

Together, the parties say they represent a left alternative that is not tied to the ANC’s record in government.

The council of the left will need to turn shared opposition into stable governance.

The parties have different structures, different leadership styles and different approaches to coalition discipline. In past councils, left-leaning coalitions have faced difficulties in holding together during budget votes, mayoral elections and disputes over positions.

According to analysis shared with Africa Daily by Professor John Molepo, the ANC’s response to the emerging left grouping will be a key point to monitor.

Molepo said the party’s NEC is expected to decide between three options: pursuing partnerships with smaller parties, attempting to work with the DA in some areas, or accepting opposition-led councils.

He said if the council of the left holds together, the ANC could lose power in municipalities it has governed for years. That outcome, he said, would not be the result of a defeat by the DA, but of a decision by left parties to govern without the ANC.

Molepo said the grouping’s position is that the ANC should not assume it remains indispensable. The left parties, he said, believe they have the numbers, the programme and the will to govern.

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