Developing story: the figure below is the party's own claim as reported on Saturday. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says results remain provisional.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) says it won 2.3% of the national vote in the 4 November local government elections, its first time contesting independently of the ANC, and that this confirms a national footprint.
What the party says
Party spokesperson Mbulelo Mandlana said the performance showed the SACP has a national presence, according to a report published on Saturday. He also said that contesting independently does not signal the end of the party's relationship with the ANC-led tripartite alliance, the report said.
What the IEC says about the numbers
The IEC said on Friday that results “remain provisional until all objections and verification processes have been concluded”. As at 5pm on Friday, the commission said 91% of results nationally had been completed and 150 of 213 municipalities had been finalised.
The 2.3% figure has not been confirmed here against the IEC’s results system.
What we do not yet know
The report gives no seat numbers. It is not yet clear how many wards or proportional representation seats the SACP won, in which municipalities, or whether its candidates will hold the balance of power in any hung council.
We also do not know how the party’s share compares with previous local elections in which it stood on ANC lists, or what the result means for the alliance ahead of coalition negotiations.
