Cosatu postpones congress after ANC-SACP alignment dispute blocks proceedings
Published · Updated
What happened
At Cosatu's 16 September 2026 congress, delegates failed to complete proceedings and the congress was postponed after disputes tied to the ANC-SACP split disrupted the agenda. The blocked issue was a planned debate on whether Cosatu should align politically with the ANC or with an independently contesting SACP before the local elections.
Why it matters
Cosatu is a core alliance institution with organised labour reach, and the postponement leaves unresolved how union structures will campaign and message ahead of local elections. The failed congress also shows that ANC-SACP disagreement has moved from leadership disputes into a federation forum that is meant to coordinate mobilisation.
Cosatu's congress was postponed on 16 September 2026 after a procedural breakdown linked to open disagreement between ANC- and SACP-aligned blocs over the federation's political alignment ahead of local elections. Mail & Guardian reported that senior alliance figures including ANC chair Gwede Mantashe and SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila failed to secure a compromise. The immediate issue is whether Cosatu backs the ANC politically or accommodates an independently contesting SACP, creating a named pathway to labour-side fragmentation during local-election mobilisation.
Watch for
Cosatu national office announcement by 2026-09-28 setting a new congress date or special central executive committee meeting on political alignment Public statement by Solly Mapaila on whether the SACP will press Cosatu affiliates to back an independent SACP local-election campaign Public statement by Gwede Mantashe or the ANC secretary-general's office on alliance discipline and Cosatu's role in the 2026 local-election campaign Named Cosatu affiliate resolutions or walkouts published by 2026-09-28 on whether to campaign for the ANC or the SACP
Sources
- Cosatu congress collapses amid ANC and SACP divisions · dailymaverick.co.za
- ANC-SACP rift spills over into chaotic Cosatu congress · mg.co.za
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