By Thapelo Molefe
The second day of the 12th African National Congress (ANC) Tshwane Regional Conference was dominated by sharp interventions from alliance partners, firm warnings against factionalism and corruption, and renewed calls for organisational discipline ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
Addressing delegates on Saturday, alliance partner COSATU’s Tshwane Cluster Chairperson Thomas Hlongwane used his platform to openly criticise the state of the ANC-led alliance in the capital, accusing the regional leadership of sidelining workers and treating alliance partners as “stepchildren”.
“It can’t be correct, comrade, that you treat us as a stepchild in our own movement. We will never allow that,” Hlongwane said, calling for the immediate rebuilding of alliance relations beyond election periods.
At its National General Council (NGC) last week, the ANC resolved that alliance partner South African Communist Party (SACP) members participating in joint ANC election structures must recuse themselves to avoid conflicts of interest, given that the SACP would be independently contesting the 2026 local elections.
Hlongwane also demanded the immediate reinstatement of municipal workers dismissed during wage disputes under the Democratic Alliance-led administration, saying workers were unfairly punished for fighting for salary increases.
“Workers are breadwinners. When workers are dismissed permanently, it can’t be correct under our watch,” he said.
He also called for an audit of municipal housing to remove illegal occupants and prioritise city employees, arguing this would boost municipal revenue.
“Those workers are going to pay rates and taxes. Currently there are illegal occupants staying there, but they are not assisting the city with finances,” he said.
The South African Communist Party echoed COSATU’s concerns, warning that weak alliance coordination and service delivery failures posed a serious political risk for the ANC in Tshwane.
The SACP said syndicates tampering with reservoirs and targeting councillors were undermining governance and threatening the safety of ANC representatives.
“We have syndicates who are tampering with reservoirs. Water is a scarce resource, comrades,” the SACP representative said, adding that councillors had been “terrorised” and even killed in some communities.
ANC National Executive Committee member Khumbudzo Ntshavheni set the tone for the remainder of the day with a forceful address on organisational renewal, discipline and leadership accountability.
She praised the conduct of ANC delegates at the recent National General Council, saying, “They never expected that from us. They thought we would tear each other apart, but we agreed with each other.”
Ntshavheni warned that the ANC was undermining itself by resorting to courts to block internal processes.
“We cannot come from a successful NGC that focuses on renewal and still take each other to court so that a regional conference does not sit,” she said.
She also addressed recent corruption arrests involving ANC members, saying the organisation could no longer carry the reputational burden of individual misconduct.
“The ANC takes over our sins instead of ourselves carrying our sins,” Ntshavheni told delegates, calling for stricter accountability and ethical leadership .
Emphasising leadership quality ahead of the election of a new regional executive, Ntshavheni said society judged the ANC through the behaviour of its leaders.
“If society does not respect me as a leader of the ANC, then we have a problem, because society will not follow a leader they do not respect,” she said .
Earlier, ANC Tshwane regional chairperson Eugene Modise cautioned delegates against allowing leadership contests to weaken the organisation, warning that factional behaviour remained the ANC’s greatest threat.
“The only thing that is going to make us not win elections is our behaviour,” Modise said, urging unity beyond the conference .
Modise also stressed that conferences should not become an obsession with positions, saying: “A conference is an event, but beyond the conference, the ANC must live and must lead,” as he called on members to focus on organisational work on the ground rather than internal battles.
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