The South African Communist Party (SACP) says it has submitted its representation to remain as a registered political party on the Independent Electoral Commission's (IEC) roll. This comes after the IEC issued a notice to de-register it and 191 other political parties.

The SACP said it made its submission a few days after receiving the commission's notice on February 21, 2025.

"The Party's prompt and decisive representation to the Independent Electoral Commission aligns with its resolutions from the Fifteenth National Congress in July 2022, the Augmented Central Committee Plenary in March and April 2023, and the Fifth Special National Congress in December 2024 to contest elections," the SACP said.

Earlier, IOL News reported that the IEC had informed the parties that they are not represented in any legislative body, have not contested general elections since they were registered, and did not renew their registration by January 31, 2025.

The IEC’s current register lists 192 political parties that met these criteria.

The commission said it had given due notice in writing, under Section 17 of the Electoral Commission Act 51 of 1996, to the 192 parties about its intention to cancel their registration.

“Given increased contestation in elections and the ever-increasing entrance of new political parties, it is crucial that the register of parties is kept current and those parties with no intention of contesting future elections are de-registered,” the IEC said.

The IEC also stated that correcting the artificial size of the register would help avoid unnecessary confusion for voters, and free up the usage of party names, abbreviated names and colour schemes for aspiring contestants.

Meanwhile, the SACP, which has always sided with the African National Congress (ANC), has since announced plans to contest the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE) independently.

This decision follows several expressed frustrations by general secretary Solly Mapaila with the ANC for joining hands with the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Government of National Unity (GNU).

Dr Alex Mashilo, Central Committee member and national spokesperson of the SACP, said the communist decision to contest elections came after over 17 years of efforts to reconfigure the Alliance, which had not produced meaningful results in terms of policy determination, direction, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

“A reconfigured Alliance must be characterised by extensive consistent consensus-seeking democratic consultation on all major policy questions, as well as collective leadership and accountability on the basis of what brought us together as allies - the pursuit and completion of the national democratic revolution,” Mashilo said.

He said the national democratic revolution remains the party’s strategy of struggle, transformation and development, with the Freedom Charter as its basic minimum programme.

“To the SACP, the national democratic revolution is the shortest and most direct route towards a socialist transition in South Africa's historical conditions. This socialist orientation is essential for the working class to achieve emancipation,” Mashilo added.

The SACP reaffirmed its decision to contest the 2026 Local Government elections in response to the crisis of working-class representation in the country's economic, social and political systems, exacerbated by the lack of a reconfigured Alliance.

“All structures of the communist party at all levels across the country must continue with and deepen their work to implement the Party's resolutions, including the resolution to contest the local government elections in 2026,” Mashilo added.

Among the parties facing de-registration is the African Radical Economic Transformation Alliance (ARETA), which was founded by Carl Niehaus in 2023, before joining the EFF.

ARETA and other parties have until March 24, 2025 to make representations.

Neihaus registered his party in May 2023 in preparation for the 2024 general elections, but later joined the red berets in December of the same year.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL Politics

Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.