01.05.2026
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Mashatile calls for unity as alliance rifts overshadow Workers’ Day

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  • SA Deputy President Paul Mashatile arrives at Peter Mokaba stadium.

Simmering tensions in the African National Congress-led alliance have dominated the main Cosatu Workers’ Day event in Limpopo.

Leaders of the ANC, Cosatu, the SACP and SANCO decried the state of the alliance following the SACP’s decision to contest elections independently.

This has prompted the ANC to give all its members with dual membership 10 days to choose whether they will be campaigning for the ANC or the SACP.

ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile has addressed hundreds of people at the main Workers Day event at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

“While we respect the SACP’s decision to contest the upcoming local government elections, we must strive to prevent the fragmentation of the working-class struggles. We must ensure that any perceived differences do not weaken the forces necessary to advance the NDR.”

“We must close ranks. We need this alliance to advance the NDR and ensure the complete emancipation of our people,” Mashatile adds, saying that the party is confident of victory in the upcoming local government elections on 4 November this year.

Mashatile says the party and its alliance partners remain committed to unity and inclusive economic transformation.

“The stress of the upcoming local elections is crucial, and the ANC, which has carried the hopes of our people and aspirations from liberation to democracy, must emerge victorious. Comrades, as we approach the 4th of November, we must remember that our campaigning is not just for the sake of campaigning; we are campaigning to win, and therefore, victory is certain.”

Workers’ Day 2026 | ANC joins COSATU celebrations in Limpopo:

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