By Johnathan Paoli
ANC First Deputy Secretary-General Nomvula Mokonyane has called on the party to urgently translate its renewal agenda into real change in the daily lives of South Africans.
Opening the 14th ANC Mpumalanga Provincial Conference at Mbombela Stadium on Thursday, Mokonyane placed the burden on party structures and delegates to ensure that policy, organisation and leadership choices are responsive to the realities of citizens.
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The conference is expected to elect new provincial leadership and set the tone for the ANC’s strategy ahead of the upcoming local government elections. Provincial chairperson Mandla Ndlovu, deputy chairperson Speedy Mashilo and secretary Muzi Chirwa are expected to retain their posts.
“We have to work together in this conference and out of this conference to look for partners in the private sector, within civil society, to improve and accelerate the rolling out of basic services and infrastructure development. That it will not be only through government but through partnership that we improve poor governance and ensure that our policy choices are enhanced through the capacity to implement,” Mokonyane told delegates.
Mokonyane stressed that the ANC must actively confront governance failures and service delivery shortcomings.
Discussing the party’s highly diminished electoral performance in the 2024 national and provincial elections, Mokonyane said the outcome was a direct consequence of the ANC losing touch with voters.
“We must also appreciate that we’re coming from a very strategic setback. We didn’t go to the voter, we didn’t look after the voter, we didn’t satisfy the voter. We’re happy with ourselves in the gazebos and the voter didn’t vote for us,” she said.
She warned that unless the ANC reorients itself towards community-level engagement and delivery, its electoral fortunes could deteriorate further.
“We can either renew or we perish. We can either unite or face defeat,” Mokonyane said.
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She stressed the need for ethical and accountable leadership, urging conference delegates to prioritise capability over factional interests when electing leaders.
“These gatherings are a platform to assess the state of the people… and on that basis, elect leaders who will be capable to execute the outcomes of your assessment… which therefore means election of leaders must be informed by whether they are capable to execute the task ahead,” she said.
Mokonyane highlighted the urgency of rebuilding trust among disaffected voters, particularly young people, many of whom have disengaged from formal political processes.
“Here in Mpumalanga, you must go look, almost two million young people who are disaffected, even those who are staying on the streets, locate them in their communities, understand what is their issues, help them to get the job opportunities, expose them to skills opportunities and take them along on voting day,” she said.
She criticised superficial campaigning methods, calling instead for sustained, meaningful engagement with communities.
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“We must go back to basics, don’t come to a voting district and stay for 20 minutes and post on Facebook. Sit with that family, hear them out, resolve their issues,” she said.
Despite acknowledging progress over 30 years of democracy, including expanded access to services, protection of rights and transformation policies, Mokonyane cautioned against complacency.
“You must refuse to be told that nothing has happened since the dawn of democracy. You know better, we have to work together to defend the gains of the revolution,” she said.
The conference, she said, must produce clear, implementable outcomes aligned with the ANC’s 2026 programme of action.
“Don’t tell people about what is happening, give them hope that tomorrow will be better than today and don’t give them hope on things that we can’t do,” she said.
