The South African National Civics Organisation or South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) is an

umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally use ...

political organisation in South Africa. It was founded in March 1992 to coordinate among existing civic organisations, which had been central in the latter phases of the struggle against apartheid. At its founding conference, 2,000 organisations were represented. In practice, affiliate organisations retained a great deal of autonomy.. Primarily aligned to the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

(ANC), SANCO played a high profile role in Track II initiatives during the negotiations to end apartheid, particularly with respect to the transformation of

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

in South Africa. Although relations with the ANC were sometimes strained, the two organisations were close enough that until 2002 SANCO was commonly referred to as the "plus one" of the ANC's

Tripartite Alliance The Tripartite Alliance is an alliance between the African National Congress (ANC), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). The ANC holds a majority in the South African parliament, while ...

, a term later avoided because civic activists felt it devalued SANCO. By 2001, it claimed to have over 4,000 local branches. In 2020, a breakaway group was formed under the name Independent South African National Civic Organisation (ISANCO); it held its inaugural conference in 2021 and contested as a registered

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

in the 2021 municipal elections.

References

{{Reflist 1992 establishments in South Africa Tripartite Alliance