By Akani Nkuna and Simon Nare
ANC KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Task Team convenor Jeff Radebe has reaffirmed the centrality of party branches, urging members to intensify efforts to reclaim the province as an ANC stronghold ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections.
Addressing delegates on Monday, at the closing session of the ANC KZN Lekgotla in Durban, Radebe said rebuilding and revitalising branches was critical to reversing the party’s electoral decline.
“2026 is a very important year as it is Local Government Elections year. We should leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we run and defend this campaign. That means resurrecting our branches. It is of critical importance that we have functioning ANC branches,” said Radebe.
He reminded members that KwaZulu-Natal was once the ANC’s largest province by membership.
“At some point KZN was the biggest province of the ANC in South Africa. We must ensure that we get back to that position,” said Radebe.
The Lekgotla brought together all party structures, including the Veterans League, Youth League, branch delegates and alliance partners.
The ANC in KZN has suffered a dramatic electoral decline in recent years, driven by internal divisions and the rise of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
The party’s provincial vote share dropped from 54.22% in 2019 to 16.99% in 2024.
Former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party secured 45.3% of the provincial vote in 2024, reducing the ANC to a minor player in the province.
The party’s losses have continued since then, including the November 2024 by-election in Ward 17 in the iLembe District Municipality, where ANC support fell from 65% in 2021 to 30%.
Radebe conceded that the party faced what he described as an “existential crisis” and said the time for renewal and reconstruction was now.
He urged members to abandon personal ambitions and internal infighting, calling instead for unity and consensus-building.
“The real competition is not amongst ourselves but with our rivals from other political parties. That must preoccupy us, not individuals who want positions. As we leave this Lekgotla, let our resolutions be our arms and ammunition for the battle ahead,” he said.
In his political overview delivered at the start of the Lekgotla on Sunday, Radebe emphasised the need for the party to remain responsive to residents and reposition itself as a credible vehicle for economic development.
He warned that the gains of democracy required constant adaptation, saying failure to restructure production, eradicate poverty and unemployment, and reduce inequality could render the party obsolete.
Reflecting on the ANC’s poor performance in the 2024 general elections, Radebe described the outcome as a warning.
“It was a call for renewal — organisationally, morally and administratively. It was the electorate asserting that historical memory alone cannot sustain future support. We must hear that message with humility and respond with discipline,” he said.
On coalition governance, Radebe said ANC representatives must sharpen their negotiation skills to ensure party policies are not compromised for convenience.
He cautioned against personality-driven politics, authoritarian populism and ethnic mobilisation, warning that destabilisation should not be mistaken for renewal.
The defence of constitutional democracy, he said, was non-negotiable.
“Coalition governance is not managed through emotional reaction. It is managed through structured engagement, constant dialogue and strategic foresight,” Radebe said.
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