By Zanoxolo Jozana
Former president Thabo Mbeki has questioned whether the ANC’s top seven leaders should remain in office after the party’s disastrous local government election performance, saying leaders must take responsibility for major electoral defeats.
Speaking on Mbuyiseni Ndlozi’s African Renaissance Podcast on Monday, Mbeki said the leadership should examine its role in the ANC’s declining electoral support and consider whether it was still capable of leading the organisation.
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“That’s an important question, and I think, in fact, that question needs to be posed to the Top Seven themselves. What’s your view of yourselves?” Mbeki said.
He suggested that President Cyril Ramaphosa and other senior ANC officials should consider stepping aside after the party’s national vote share fell from 45.59% in the 2021 local government elections to 30.76% in 2026.
“Isn’t it time for that Top Seven to say, like President Ramaphosa seems to be saying, we can’t continue to lead having produced a negative outcome of this kind? Maybe that’s what they should say. I’m not saying they must, but maybe they should say that,” Mbeki said.
His remarks followed a Sunday Times report saying that Ramaphosa had offered to resign as ANC president following the party’s electoral setback.
Mbeki acknowledged that he had not personally read the report but said that, if it was accurate, Ramaphosa would be taking the correct position.
“And when I saw that, I said I think he’s taking a correct position, because normally, in all of these democratic countries where you have a major disaster like that, the leaders resign. They take responsibility. We are at fault for this, what [ANC secretary-general Fikile] Mbalula called a catastrophe,” he said.
“How do you continue to lead if you are responsible for a catastrophe? So I thought what is being reported about, if it is correct, what President Ramaphosa’s position is, is correct. And maybe the rest of the leadership should take the same position.”
Ramaphosa dismissed the resignation reports on Sunday, while Mbalula denied that the party was considering the president’s departure.
“I do not know where these rumours are coming from; I mean, whoever came up with a rumour like that is preposterous,” Ramaphosa said on the sidelines of the Electoral Commission’s announcement of the final election results.
Mbalula also rejected the reports, saying there were no discussions within the ANC about Ramaphosa stepping down.
“The president is not going anywhere, and there are no such considerations in the ANC of the president stepping down,” he said.
The Sunday Times report cited at least five ANC national executive committee (NEC) members who claimed Ramaphosa had raised the possibility of resigning and suggested that senior leaders should take collective responsibility for successive electoral setbacks.
Mbeki’s criticism extended to Ramaphosa’s leadership since he became ANC president in 2017 and South African president in 2018.
He questioned what positive developments could be attributed to Ramaphosa’s time in office, citing economic difficulties, unemployment, poverty, crime and declining ANC support.
Mbeki also questioned whether the party had entrusted its renewal to the right people.
“I’m part of the leadership of the ANC. I’m a member of the National Executive Committee of the ANC. We have to take responsibility for what has happened, including that Top Seven. And it may very well be indeed that when we say ANC renewal, we are giving the task to renew the ANC to wrong people,” he said.
The ANC’s top seven comprises Ramaphosa, deputy president Paul Mashatile, national chairperson Gwede Mantashe, secretary-general Mbalula, first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane, second deputy secretary-general Maropene Ramokgopa and treasurer-general Gwen Ramokgopa.
The Electoral Commission confirmed on Sunday that the ANC had secured 30.76% of the national vote and 3,246 council seats, remaining the country’s largest party despite losing 14.83 percentage points compared with 2021.
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The ANC secured outright majorities in 53 municipalities, while numerous councils were left without a single party holding an outright majority.
Mbeki also criticised the party’s failure to implement organisational renewal resolutions adopted at its 2017 and 2022 national conferences.
He said the ANC Veterans League had previously submitted proposals to help rebuild the organisation, but these had not been implemented.
Mbeki said that the ANC should prioritise rebuilding itself rather than seeking governing positions in municipalities where voters had not given it sufficient support.
His comments came ahead of ANC NEC discussions on the election outcome and coalition negotiations.
