Durban — The ANC, which was rattled and left embarrassed after the poor election results nationally and in KwaZulu-Natal, is expected to make radical changes in the province.
This comes after a visit by the party’s bigwigs in the National Working Committee (NWC) – responsible for the day-to-day operations – led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, meeting party structures in the limping province.
Ramaphosa held a marathon meeting with the regional leadership of the ANC in the Moses Mabhida region (Pietermaritzburg), branch executive committees and the rank-and-file members. The region is led by Mzimkhulu Thebolla who is also the mayor of Msunduzi Municipality.
Addressing the media after the meeting in the Msunduzi Council chambers, Ramaphosa did not mince his words, admitting that the party “massively declined, particularly in KZN”.
“Our visit here as the NWC is to go to all the 11 regions of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal. It is part of the ANC to interface with our structures to enable us to get our membership to do a proper analysis of our performance in the elections as we have often said that the elections were a setback for the ANC,” he said.
The aim was “so that the ANC can be renewed and strengthened”.
“It is only when we have a renewed and strong ANC that we will be able to execute our tasks that are encoded in our manifesto.”
The visit, the first after the party’s disastrous election performance in May, is part of the ANC’s post-election assessment, which saw the party losing its majority nationally, dropping from 57% to 40%.
In KZN, a province the ANC has governed with a tight grip since 2004, the party dramatically fell from political grace after sliding from 54% to 17%. The losses were said to have been inflicted by the emergence of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party led by former president Jacob Zuma, who was recently expelled from the ANC for endorsing the MKP and later campaigning.
Zuma’s 21-day appeal period ended on Sunday.
Ramaphosa was joined by NWC members Thandi Modise and Mduduzi Manana at the Msunduzi Council chambers.
Speculation has been rife that the ANC in KZN and eThekwini region – both once the party’s heartland – would be disbanded.
However, the party has repeatedly rejected the claims. Ramaphosa did not entertain the speculation.
The leaders were expected to hold a media briefing on Monday before leaving the province.
Several party sources said the ANC leadership embarked on the province-wide post-election assessment in a bid to counter the party’s dismal faring at the May 29 election.
The ANC said the meeting aimed to “dissect” the performance of the party in the elections and strengthen the fragile unity “and cohesion of the movement”.
In the crisis-plagued eThekwini – the party’s biggest region and which is led by Zandile Gumede – where the party registered the biggest losses during the elections, the party’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula listened to concerns that were raised by party leaders and members.
Chief among them was the issues of factionalism and infighting that had plagued the party.
A former party councillor, who was part of the meeting, told the Daily News: “Many concerns were raised to comrade Mbalula, but the issue of factionalism and infighting was prominently cited as the cause for the party’s downfall at the polls.
“We expect that the party would make some changes in the province and the regions where we performed poorly.”
Mbalula met the regional leadership and later, the branches at the Durban Playhouse.
The region, which has been lurching from one leadership crisis to the next, lost massive ground to the MKP during the May election.
The national chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, led a delegation to the Josiah Gumede region (Ladysmith). Also in tow were National Executive Committee members Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and Joe Phaahla.
Before the elections, the ANC was pinning its hopes on KZN, especially the eThekwini region, to save it from the political embarrassment of losing its three decades of uninterrupted majority nationally. The party, once a dominant force, is in a race against time to get its house in order before the 2026 local government.
The party’s treasurer-general, Dr Gwen Ramakgopa, was in the General Gizenga Mpanza region in KwaDukuza Town Hall.
The first deputy secretary-general, Nomvula Mokonyane, met the struggling Musa Dladla region (Empangeni) leadership and branches at the Ngwelezana Hall in Empangeni.
The ANC leadership is expected to give a detailed media briefing on its visit on Monday.
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