By Johnathan Paoli
ANC Free State chair Mxolisi Dukwana has delivered a blunt assessment of the party’s state in the province, warning that political infighting, corruption and the failure to deliver basic services have “torn apart” the organisation.
Dukwana was speaking during closing remarks at a two-day Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) lekgotla at the Bloemfontein Showgrounds on Sunday.
The meeting focused on unity, governance, service delivery and organisational renewal ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections later this year.
Dukwana said party structures had long been warned about the damage being done to the ANC’s standing and historical mission.
“What is going to be our legacy as the leadership of the ANC, as the leadership in government, in municipalities? What legacy are we leaving to the generation of leaders that is coming behind us? Are we leaving an ANC full of factions, an ANC that has ineffective branches that are non-existent? What kind of an ANC are we leaving behind?” he asked.
He said the lekgotla was responding directly to a national call for discipline and renewal, referencing the January 8 Statement that declared 2026 the year of decisive action to fix local government and transform the economy.
Dukwana stressed that the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had resolved to run the party with zero tolerance for corruption, ill-discipline and factionalism in an effort to restore public trust.
Turning to governance failures, he declared “war” on inaction, dysfunction and complacency in municipalities.
“The Free State people continue to speak and their message is unequivocal. They want a government that works and they want the ANC that is present and functional to lead the change through quality service, not promises,” he said.
He pledged immediate consequences for underperformance and corruption.
“We will no longer tolerate underperforming, corrupt or negligent political and administrative officials. The days of using government positions as a source of material wealth are over,” Dukwana said.
His remarks come a week after Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae faced allegations of trying to sabotage the ANC’s delayed January 8 celebrations.
The event, held at Trompsburg Stadium on 17 January 2026 to mark the party’s anniversary, reportedly exposed deepening divisions in the provincial leadership, with claims that funds and logistics were withheld to undermine key figures.
Sources close to the PEC allege the moves were aimed at weakening Dukwana and provincial secretary Polediso Motsoeneng amid ongoing power struggles.
ANC leader and Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee chair Soviet Lekganyane warned that resistance to renewal was coming from within the organisation itself.
“There is organised resistance to the renewal agenda. And this resistance is internal. There is no one outside. People outside, ordinary men and women, are looking to the government to deliver services to them, the services that we have promised them,” he said.
Lekganyane accused some leaders of clinging to positions without exercising real leadership, arguing that leadership is not merely about election or appointment, but about choosing to act decisively in the country’s interest.
“At a time when municipalities are confronted by a myriad of challenges, the leadership has been directed to take decisive action against rogue deployees,” he said.
The provincial lekgotla forms part of similar gatherings across the country, as ANC structures seek to regain public trust and reposition the party ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
Motsoeneng, addressing the lekgotla earlier on Sunday, also called for decisive implementation of party resolutions, saying the movement’s greatest weakness had been the slow or uneven execution of its own policies.
“The NEC over the years through various platforms has adopted progressive and life-changing policies. However, the weaknesses that have besieged our movement are, amongst others, non-implementation or slow implementation of policies,” he said.
He warned that local government would be the central battleground ahead of the 2026 local elections, with water, sanitation and electricity failures eroding public trust.
Municipalities, he said, would be required to strengthen cooperation with Eskom, roll out smart meters, fix billing systems and halt wasteful, irregular and fruitless expenditure.
ANC Free State spokesperson Thabo Meeko said the lekgotla programme included a municipality-by-municipality assessment of failures in areas such as Mangaung and Matjhabeng, deteriorating roads critical to agriculture and mining, and collapsing basic infrastructure.
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