By Akani Nkuna
The African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General (SG), Fikile Mbalula, has said that the party grew comfortable in power when it was still enjoying electorate majority, which has led it to bleed votes and lost grips on governing municipalities without coalitions.
“The ANC has lost ground, and we lost our majority that allowed us to govern alone… the ANC over the years has ensured that, where we lost ground because we became too comfortable, too factionalised, too distant from the people we serve. Over the years of new culture of class materialism crept in and we failed to arrest it as it emerged in the party,” he said.
Mbalula was speaking at the ANC Women’s League launch of the election volunteers programme and commemoration of the Freedom Charter in Atteridgeville, Tshwane. The programme seeks to mobilise women to actively participate and contribute to the electoral process.
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Hundreds of ANCWL members gathered in their regalia of green and black as the launch was also corresponded with celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of the 1956 Women’s March.
Mbalula took the initiative to remind ANCWL members convening at the launch that the recent Tshwane coalition government that came to govern post-ANC’s tenure in fact reversed most of the gains which the party had established in the municipality through its many years of governance.
He also highlighted that the party has been riddled by elements of thieving, materialism and corruption where its deployees steal from the state coffers. The SG urged party members to stop conveying solidarity to deployees accused of corruption.
“People are stealing state money. They must be brought to account because ANC did not deploy thieves. When someone is arrested [on charges of corruption], stop wearing party colours to go and support them, they must face the consequences alone. We must be firm, we must be decisive against corruption,” Mbalula said.
Mbalula has reiterated the assurance that the party’s Mayoral Candidates for Local Government Elections (LGE) 2026 will be put through a rigorous vetting process to source out high calibre leaders who will adequately represent the ANC at the municipal level.
He said that every Mayoral Candidate in every metro and District will have to pass a “public integrity test”, ensuring that they are well vetted.
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“We are not going to select candidates from the dark only to find, once selected, that they are thieves. We will thoroughly inspect, because it might happen that there are things about you. We want angels now; we are going to war. War of renewal, we are making a comeback as ANC,” Mbalula added.
The SG has called on ANC members to protect the party, outlining that only party members can kill the movement and no one else. He said that through the launch of the volunteer programme, the party should be secure and confident heading into the LGE 2026.
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