The South African Communist Party's (SACP) provincial working committee (PWC) in the Western Cape has accused the African National Congress (ANC) in the province of undermining alliance partners during the governing party's list process.

ANC branches throughout the country spent the latter part of 2018 finalising nominations for candidates to serve on the party's behalf in the National Assembly and in provincial legislatures.

The ANC has already held a national list conference, with its national list committee currently vetting candidates before submitting the names to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) ahead of the national elections, expected to take place in May.

The SACP PWC, which met on Tuesday, complained of "chauvinistic" attempts to undermine the alliance.

The ANC and its alliance partners – the SACP, Cosatu and the South African National Civic Organisation – have been attempting to reconfigure the alliance after it nearly collapsed under former president Jacob Zuma's leadership in 2017.

"The process itself and the results thereof reflect an onslaught on the left forces within the alliance and, most worryingly, rural section of the mass democratic movement," SACP provincial spokesperson Zuko Mndayi said in a statement.

He said the preliminary outcomes of the Western Cape list process legitimised the SACP's conviction in calling for a reconfigured relationship between the alliance partners.

Mndayi also warned that the SACP would not accept without question a list that failed to represent all the allies' views.

"The PWC resolved to reject any final outcome that does not reflect the unity and class diversity of the alliance for deployment on key sectors of power," said Mndayi.

The ANC's allies are expected to hold a media briefing to further elaborate on their concerns on Friday.