The South African Communist Party (SACP), founded in 1921 and led by General Secretary Solly Mapaila, is a Marxist-Leninist party historically allied to the ANC in the Tripartite Alliance. For 2026 it is contesting local elections independently for the first time, campaigning for public ownership, insourcing, pro-poor services and working-class 'people's power'.
Founded in 1921, the SACP has historically contested elections within the ANC-led Tripartite Alliance rather than on its own ballot line. 2026 is its first independent local-government contest, so it holds no prior independent LGE seats in the Gauteng metros.
A match on these questions is not agreement with a party's whole programme. Here are other policies we did not ask you about.
Other recorded policies from South African Communist Party
Implement National Health Insurance for universal quality healthcare access.
Implementing National Health Insurance
A shared direction does not mean identical plans, funding or conditions.Universal social security; SRD grant becomes universal income grant.
Introducing basic income support
A shared direction does not mean identical plans, funding or conditions.Selected policies, not a full manifesto or ballot list. National policies are context, not powers a council can exercise on its own. Local plans can also need other agencies. Read dates and sources before deciding.
Fair, pro-poor water and electricity tariffs; protect lifeline services and stop punitive disconnections
politicsweb.co.zaKeep Eskom in public hands; electricity is a public good, not a source of private profit
politicsweb.co.zaScrap the corrupt tender system; make public provision and insourcing the norm
politicsweb.co.zaRelease and, where needed, expropriate public/well-located land for housing, food production and cooperatives
politicsweb.co.zaEnd the bucket system and maintain township and village roads
politicsweb.co.zaTop municipal jobs, like the city manager and the head of finance, should be filled by an independent panel. Political parties should have no say in who gets them.
"Demands capable, accountable public institutions and rejects patronage; an independent panel excluding political parties is not proposed."
The law should stop the municipality from raising rates and service charges (water, electricity, refuse) by more than inflation each year.
"Advocates fair, pro-poor water and electricity tariffs; support for a legal inflation ceiling is only an inference."
Note: August 16 launch statement remains the substantive programme source. September Umsebenzi Online issue 12 (also indexed by PMG as SACP_2026_LGE_manifesto.pdf) was opened; it contains a manifesto section and explicit campaigning against anti-poor PIE amendments. PDF extraction is capped and some manifesto content is not exposed as searchable text. Q12 is refreshed from that September document. Q18/Q19/Q20 cleared: pro-poor tariffs, recognition of informal workers and opposition to punitive disconnections do not themselves establish debt cancellation, nationality-only business rules or universal-meter policy. Q13's land-expropriation commitment is related but does not specify hijacked-building conversion.
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Party positions were checked in September 2026 against manifestos, party statements and news reports. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Changelog →
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politicsweb.co.zaPoor households should get more free water and electricity, even if better-off households pay more to cover it.
"Protect lifeline services and provide free water and electricity for poor households through public provision."
The municipality should cut off water and electricity to anyone who does not pay their bill, including businesses and government departments.
"Protect lifeline services and stop punitive disconnections, opposing blanket cut-offs of struggling households."
Where the municipality is failing at electricity, water or rubbish removal, it should pay private companies to run those services.
"Reject tenderisation and municipal privatisation; make public provision and insourcing the norm."
The municipality should cancel what poor households still owe on old water and electricity bills.
"SACP will 'fight for fair, pro-poor tariffs for water and electricity, protect lifeline services, and stop punitive disconnections', leans to relief; no explicit historical-debt write-off pledge."
Every home should be put on prepaid electricity and water meters, including homes that now pay a monthly bill.
"Inference: SACP will 'protect lifeline services and stop punitive disconnections' and demands pro-poor tariffs, implying opposition to forcing poor households onto prepaid meters (no explicit prepaid statement)."
The municipality should buy electricity from private producers and from homes with solar panels, instead of only from Eskom.
"Keep Eskom public and electricity outside private profit-making; opposition to municipal private-power procurement is inferred."
When the municipality hands out contracts, it should stop giving black-owned businesses preference and choose only on price and ability to do the job.
Security guards, cleaners and other contract workers should become permanent municipal employees, even if that costs more than using private companies.
"Public provision and insourcing should become the norm where municipalities have capacity."
Before giving anyone a house, a trading permit or a business licence, the municipality should check that they are in the country legally.
Only spaza shops and street traders with a licence should be allowed to trade. Those without one should be shut down.
Only South African citizens and permanent residents should be allowed to own or run spaza shops and street stalls.
"SACP manifesto: 'Informal traders and platform workers should be formally recognised, protected and allowed to organise', anti-xenophobia stance leans against a citizens-only ownership rule."
When people occupy land or buildings illegally, they should be removed straight away, even if they have nowhere else to go.
"Commits to defeating anti-poor amendments to the Prevention of Illegal Evictions Act and defending land-access protections."
The municipality should take over hijacked and abandoned buildings in the city centre and turn them into affordable housing.
"Supports public-interest expropriation for housing in cities; application to hijacked-building conversion is inferred, not an explicit pledge."
Metro police should get more officers and the power to investigate crimes, not only handle traffic and by-laws.
"Calls for accountable policing and action against gangs, extortion and criminal syndicates; extra metro officers and investigative powers are not specified."
The municipality should limit the hours taverns and bottle stores may sell alcohol, and close those next to schools and homes.
Renaming streets and public places after people from all of South Africa's history should carry on, even when it costs money and some residents object.