The pressure mounts...
Cosatu and the SACP are working in a perfect concerto at the moment, with the grand plan of finding a more equal footing for them within the tripartite alliance. A lot of "line in the sand" time comments have been coming from both camps, and the latest round are no different. Blade Nzmande says:

"The days of collective alliance campaigning for elections, but decisions being left exclusively at the hands of the ANC, are now over."

"We need to radically change the manner of operation of the alliance, its protocols, method of deployment, the question of accountability of government to the alliance, the effective role of alliance partners in governance and the possibility of an electoral pact and quotas for alliance partners in the ANC lists."

SACP honcho Zwelinzima Vavi was even more robust, calling for reflection from the ANC leadership:

"If that is not happening we will meet in June to decide on the way forward... to determine our support for the ANC, if there is any. You cannot have a liberation movement without working-class representation... We need to make sure our ANC is our ANC, not their ANC."

It's important to note the difference. Whereas the SACP is still mulling a divorce from the tripartite marriage, Cosatu is firmly committed to changing from within the coattails of the ANC. There is a wave of populism that is knocking on the doors of the hallowed halls of the ANC leadership, from Zuma's supporters to the rumblings from within the alliance. How the ANC reacts in the next year, particularly at the AGM, will most likely define the ANC over the next decade. It's an important time to be watching...