KHAYA RSA

THE REFOUNDING OF THE ALLIANCE:

FROM ELECTORAL COOPERATION TO COLLECTIVE GOVERNANCE

By Cde Khaya Buthelezi

«"The Alliance must not merely be a vehicle for elections; it must become a vehicle for governing society in the interests of the working class and the poor."»

1. THE HISTORICAL QUESTION BEFORE THE ALLIANCE

The ANC, SACP and COSATU Alliance stands as one of the most successful liberation formations in modern history.

It defeated apartheid.

It secured democratic rule.

It transformed South Africa from a racial dictatorship into a constitutional democracy.

Yet history teaches us that liberation movements do not collapse because of external enemies alone. They decline when their structures fail to adapt to changing material conditions.

The crisis confronting the Alliance today is not primarily organisational.

It is structural.

The current Alliance model was designed for liberation struggle.

It was never fundamentally redesigned for democratic governance.

As a result, political power became concentrated in one component while responsibility remained collective.

This contradiction has weakened accountability, diluted working-class influence and created growing distance between the Alliance leadership and the masses.

The Alliance must therefore undergo a strategic reconfiguration.

Not as a tactical adjustment.

But as a historic necessity.

2. THE FAILURE OF THE CURRENT MODEL

The current arrangement suffers from four major weaknesses.

2.1 Campaign Together, Govern Separately

Alliance partners mobilise communities together.

Alliance partners defend electoral victories together.

Alliance partners formulate policy together.

But once elections conclude, governance becomes concentrated within one centre of authority.

This creates a situation where collective responsibility exists without collective power.

Such a model is unsustainable.

2.2 Weak Accountability

When government fails, citizens blame the Alliance.

Yet Alliance partners often possess