Dual membership was sustainable only while the ANC and SACP shared a single electoral vehicle. Once the SACP declared intent to contest elections independently, dual membership mutated from alliance glue into a conflict of interest
Can the party construct a narrative that acknowledges its past while speaking to the aspirations of a diverse and changing society? Its ability to do so may depend on its willingness to engage with the discomfort of its own history and the expectations of its evolving constituency
Factional battles in the ANC raise urgent questions about leadership, legitimacy and whether the party can renew itself
The ANC’s historically legitimacy, the divided opposition, the proportional electorate system, and the lack of a broad-based party all contribute to its continued dominance