With local government elections looming and the ANC facing what it describes as an “existential moment”, Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula on Saturday moved to shut down early succession battles, warning that internal campaigning, money politics and factional manoeuvring would not be tolerated.

In recent months, a flurry of media reports has suggested that several senior ANC leaders are already positioning themselves in a succession race ahead of the party’s next national conference in 2027.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) lekgotla in Boksburg, Mbalula said the movement’s survival depended on restoring credibility in municipalities — not leadership contests.

“There will be no 2027 without 2026,” Mbalula said.

“If we collapse local government, there is no future for the ANC. People must stop behaving as if conferences come before communities.”

He issued a blunt warning to members already positioning themselves for the ANC’s next leadership contest.

“Anyone who is printing T-shirts, moving money, mobilising support and campaigning now is engaging in misconduct,” he said.

“We will not hesitate to disqualify candidates. Discipline is not optional — it is a condition of membership.”

Mbalula said the NEC lekgotla was focused on tightening implementation and enforcing accountability, particularly in municipalities where service delivery failures, corruption and political instability continue to drive voter anger.

“We are not short of policies. We are short of execution,” he said. “This movement has resolutions. What has been missing is enforcement, monitoring and consequences — and that is what changes now.”

He confirmed that ANC national officials had been mandated to play a direct role in stabilising municipalities and overseeing mayoral deployments.

“We are centralising oversight because collapse in local government is not an option,” Mbalula said.

“Where leadership is weak, we will intervene. Where there is corruption, there will be consequences. Where people are failing, they will be changed.”

His remarks come amid ongoing scrutiny of the ANC’s Greater Johannesburg elective conference held in December, where Loyiso Masuku defeated incumbent Dada Morero for the position of regional chairperson.

The conference has since been clouded by allegations of vote-buying, bribery and procedural irregularities.

Mbalula confirmed that he had received a formal complaint from Morero, including concerns about a potential conflict of interest involving a delegate responsible for counting ballots who had previously worked in Masuku’s office.

He said the party’s electoral commission was investigating the matter and that the process would be concluded within a week.

On internal disputes, Mbalula dismissed claims of police involvement in the Johannesburg conference, saying the party would not allow its internal processes to be criminalised.

“The ANC is not run by police stations,” he said.

“We deal with our issues politically and organisationally — not through social media narratives and rumours.”

He also acknowledged growing public frustration with what he described as “event-based governance”, where services appear only when political leaders visit communities.

“We cannot arrive with convoys and suddenly fix things for a rally,” he said. “People see that. It destroys trust. Service delivery must be permanent, not performative.”

As the NEC lekgotla continues, Mbalula said the party’s focus was clear.

“This is not a year for slogans. It is a year for action,” he said.

“If we fail to change people’s lives on the ground, no amount of campaigning will save us.”

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The ANC on Saturday opened its first National Executive Committee (NEC) Lekgotla of 2026 in a high-stakes test of its ability to deliver ahead of this year’s local government elections, amid a deepening credibility crisis and widespread municipal failures.

The party has declared the upcoming election year “the decisive year to fix local government” and restore public confidence in service delivery where it governs.

The three-day meeting is tasked with translating President Cyril Ramaphosa’s January 8 Statement into concrete programmes with measurable outcomes, with a strong emphasis on implementation, accountability and visible service delivery.

Former ANC leaders Kgalema Motlanthe and Thabo Mbeki attended the opening session, underscoring the political weight of the gathering.

Opening the Lekgotla, Ramaphosa warned that the ANC risked losing relevance if it failed to close the gap between policy and delivery.

Citing the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), he said South Africa’s most persistent development challenge was weak implementation rather than a lack of ideas.

“The task of this Lekgotla must be implementation,” Ramaphosa said.

“We must emerge with clear programmes, timelines, reporting mechanisms and consequence management.”

Municipal governance has emerged as the movement’s most urgent challenge.

During the 2024 general elections, South Africans delivered a stinging rebuke to the ANC, handing the party its most significant electoral setback since it came to power in 1994.

Frustration over a stagnant economy, a 32% unemployment rate, lack of service delivery and persistent corruption allegations against senior officials has raised the likelihood that voters could further turn away from the ruling party in the upcoming local elections.

Ramaphosa acknowledged that political interference, corruption, weak administration and flawed tender systems had hollowed out municipalities and eroded public trust, saying that fixing local government must be the ANC’s central priority.

“2026 must be the Year of Decisive Action to fix local government and transform the economy,” he said.

The Lekgotla also reviewed economic developments, noting four consecutive quarters of growth in 2025, South Africa’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force grey list, a sovereign credit rating upgrade and a year largely free of load shedding.

However, Ramaphosa cautioned that unemployment, inequality and crime remained stubbornly high, warning that recent gains would count for little unless they were felt by ordinary citizens.

Organisational renewal and accountability were placed at the centre of discussions, with Ramaphosa issuing a blunt warning to underperforming leaders.

“If we are given tasks and we do not perform, there is only one outcome — you either do what you are meant to do or you move out,” he warned.

He added that ANC candidates for the local elections would face stricter vetting, compulsory ethics training and tighter enforcement of accountability measures.

Speaking to the SABC earlier this week, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the party was focused on ensuring councillors and local government officials addressed basic service delivery failures, including sewage spills, road maintenance and other critical services.

“We will look at the end of the year at how we have fared. Our focus is on interventions at leadership level and governance challenges in local government,” Mbalula said.

“Those interventions will intensify after the Lekgotla, following the launch of the action plan and the work already done.”

On the appointment of mayors, Mbalula told reporters on Saturday that the responsibility would rest with national officials.

“We are currently developing a framework to guide national officials in executing this mandate,” he said.

“The framework will direct how appointments are made, from mayors to ward councillors. Anyone who stands will do so under the ANC banner, but there will be elements of public participation.”

Mbalula said the party would conduct quarterly evaluations of implementation in line with resolutions of the National General Council.

“We must fix local government and ensure economic growth, based on the programme of action that will emerge from this Lekgotla. This work did not start now; it began with the councillors’ roll call,” he said.

He added that the ANC was already in a position to intervene where necessary, citing eThekwini as an example.

“We are following this up with consequence management. Sometimes it is not about removing people, but about strengthening capacity where it is needed,” Mbalula said.

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The empty seats in the 30,000-seater stadium told a story of their own. The ANC attributed the gaps to logistical challenges, including traffic congestion and supporters lingering outside the venue to escape the heat.

But it is also worth asking whether the sparse turnout reflects a deeper sense of apprehension and disillusionment among the party’s membership.

The problem with the ANC it appears to have run out of ideas about what to do about South Africa’s economic growth and unemployment crisis. 

What currently sustains the economy are high commodity prices — including a record gold price — alongside relatively low oil prices. Together, these factors have underpinned a stronger rand, lower inflation and subdued interest rates.

The two areas where the ANC can claim some credit are the implementation of reforms in energy and logistics, and the improved performance of key state-owned enterprises such as Eskom, Transnet, the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) and South African Airways (SAA).

But a large portion of this success is due to private sector involvement. 

Another problem with the ANC is that it does not know where it wants to position South Africa’s economy in the global value chain.

China is a global manufacturing hub with inherent comparative advantages but also self-made efficiencies that are hard to compete against.

Asian economies like Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore have built their own areas of advantage to complement China but also find niche areas.

South Africa must identify and play to its strengths. 

Being mineral-rich is an inherent, natural advantage. But beneficiating those minerals and selling them as intermediate, value-added goods requires deliberate policy interventions, long-term planning and bold decisiveness.

Such a shift would inevitably disrupt established global players in beneficiation from India to Europe and China.

It is a decision the ANC has long avoided, but one it must make and follow through on.

Infrastructure is another area of deep frustration. South Africa’s infrastructure programme was unveiled as a R400 billion initiative in a January 8 statement by former president Thabo Mbeki ahead of the 2004 elections.

It has since ballooned into a R1 trillion programme over three years, yet, as one banking executive observed, progress remains glacial.

Too much is planned for too long, with too little execution.

Another inherent advantage is favourable weather, arable land and an advanced agricultural sector.

This should position South Africa as a major global agricultural export hub.

The deal that opened the Chinese market to South Africa’s stone fruit exports came about largely as a result of United States President Donald Trump’s tariff wars, but it should have been pursued much earlier. Many similar opportunities exist in untapped markets, but without political will and decisive leadership, none of this will materialise.

A further sign of desperation emerged over the past week when ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula revived talk of nationalising the Reserve Bank and exploration without compensation.

He reportedly told a group of young people that the ANC would nationalise mines, including those in the North West, to create jobs.

He was fortunate they did not laugh him out of the room.

The ANC will not, or rather cannot, nationalise the mines.

It is too fearful of market backlash and lacks both the political will and the managerial capacity to run state-owned mining operations.

Moreover, the private sector is increasingly confident that the courts would block any serious attempt at nationalisation.

This leaves a leader proposing solutions he knows cannot be implemented — and no longer believes are viable — merely to placate disgruntled voters. That is either desperation or indifference.

The ANC today resembles not a sinking ship, but a cruise liner stranded in shallow waters, unable to move forward or turn back.

On the top deck sit the leadership: sipping champagne, eating cake and enjoying live music, largely oblivious to the struggles below.

The deck beneath is occupied by the deployment class – premiers, mayors, MPs and councillors — whose livelihoods are tied to ANC membership.

Below them are civil servants, black professionals and tenderpreneurs whose jobs, incomes and contracts depend on the state and, by extension, the ANC.

On the bottom deck, in the cabins, are grant recipients and ordinary ANC members who campaign in dust and heat, hoping for opportunities in public works programmes or municipal employment.

For now, the party continues, punctuated by mild anxieties about future election results.

But when the champagne runs dry — when economic growth falters to the point that South Africa can no longer plug into the global economy — panic will set in.

By then, electoral decline may already be irreversible.

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The ANC is gearing up for its January 8 Statement and 114th anniversary celebrations in the North West, where President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to use Saturday’s address to rally supporters and set out the party’s programme of action and election strategy.

Ramaphosa will deliver the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) statement at Moruleng Stadium in Rustenburg, setting out the party’s priority goals for the year, with a strong focus on how it plans to reclaim lost public support ahead of the upcoming Local Government Elections.

The January 8 celebrations come at a critical moment for the once-dominant governing party, widely seen as a period of introspection and renewal as it attempts to redefine itself and reconnect with voters.

During the 2024 general elections, the ANC — the party that led the struggle against apartheid — won just 159 seats in the 400-member National Assembly, securing just over 40% of the vote, a sharp decline from the 57.5% it achieved in the 2019 election.

In the build-up to the main event, ANC leaders this week embarked on door-to-door campaigns and community engagements across the province, interacting directly with residents on issues such as poor road infrastructure, water shortages, unemployment and service delivery failures.

These concerns are expected to feature prominently in Ramaphosa’s address.

However, reports from the ground suggest a mixed reception for the party’s leadership, with visits ranging from engagements with traditional leaders to outreach at taxi ranks and shisanyamas.

While some communities have welcomed the interaction, others have expressed frustration, leading to the cancellation of certain activities amid fears of hostility.

Despite this, ANC leadership has continued criss-crossing the province to mobilise supporters for Saturday’s gathering, which is expected to unveil the party’s electoral roadmap.

The January 8 Statement marks the official start of the political calendar and traditionally sets the tone ahead of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February.

Ramaphosa is expected to address a wide range of issues, including economic recovery, internal unity, the fight against factionalism and corruption, as well as South Africa’s strained relations with the United States.

Key policy areas such as education, health, crime and rural development are also expected to receive special emphasis.

The president is further expected to touch on preparations for the commemoration of the historic 1956 Women’s March to the Union Buildings, an event that remains central to National Women’s Day celebrations and the country’s liberation history.

The 70th commemoration of the historic women’s anti-pass law march to the Union Buildings will take place on Saturday, 9 August 2026.

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The ANC will take a definitive decision on the future of dual membership at the close of its 5th National General Council (NGC), national media liaison Mothusi Shupinyane Ka Ndaba told Inside Politics on Wednesday.

“The General National Council will take a resolution regarding the issue, and adopt a position,” he said, as tensions with the South African Communist Party (SACP) escalate.

At the centre of the crisis is the SACP’s December 2024 resolution to contest the 2026 local government elections independently, a break with decades of alliance tradition.

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has told delegates that the party’s national executive committee (NEC) has effectively issued the SACP with an ultimatum: reverse the decision or accept that dual members may lose their ANC membership.

He warned that the NEC had rejected proposals to allow SACP members to campaign for both organisations, saying this would create “sleepers who could work against the ANC from within”, citing KZN incidents where strategy was allegedly leaked to the uMkhonto weSizwe Party.

Mbalula said that if the NEC’s December position is upheld at the NGC and at the January lekgotla, dual membership would end.   

It would also sever SACP activists from ANC election structures, placing the future of the tripartite alliance in uncharted waters.

But ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe, himself a dual member of both parties, said on Tuesday on the sidelines of the conference that the choice lay with individuals, not the ANC.

“Every member will take a decision. It is my decision what I want to do with my membership,” he said, adding that he will vote ANC in 2026.

He did, however, say that the SACP’s decision to run independently was possible “suicide” in their drive for progressive politics.

“We’ve accepted that, for your information. We’ve just accepted that. And we think that the party can walk the talk and actually kill itself. The ANC is consistently saying, we are the only side that drives change. It’s committing suicide,” Mantashe told Times Live.

The ANC’s internal debate is shaped further by its August NEC discussion document.

The document emphasised that the ANC–SACP relationship was rooted in a century of shared struggle under the framework of the National Democratic Revolution; that alliance decisions must be taken collectively because unilateral actions risk the “common ruin of the progressive forces”; and that the SACP’s decision to contest independently poses strategic and historical challenges that the ANC describes as “uncharted waters”.

“Let us do everything to snatch victory from the jaws of what we see as a potential monumental defeat of the National Democratic Revolution in our country, due to, among other reasons, self-sabotage and self-fragmentation. We have a duty to consolidate the unity of the…forces and preserve strategic cohesion of the Alliance and the mass democratic movement as a whole,” it stated.

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ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) member Bheki Cele was denied entry to the party’s 5th National General Council on Monday after failing to produce an accreditation card at the venue’s check-in point.

Cele, who appeared agitated, stood alone outside the conference at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg before turning back, according to a witness.

Security personnel instructed him to present his accreditation card, a requirement imposed on delegates attending the meeting.

Cele was later heard speaking with fellow NEC member Mmamoloko Kubayi, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, saying he had submitted his name for accreditation.

The incident comes as Cele, a former police minister, faces renewed public scrutiny following allegations that he accepted bribes from tenderpreneur and attempted murder accused Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

The allegations surfaced at Parliament’s ad hoc committee investigating claims of political interference in the country’s criminal justice system.

Matlala told the committee that Cele demanded up to 1 million rand in cash for favours, including the return of firearms confiscated from Matlala’s private security firm, and that he delivered about 500,000 rand in shopping bags to Cele.

Cele has denied the allegations, including claims of improper relationships with accused individuals.

It was not immediately clear whether Cele later gained entry to the NGC venue after raising the matter with senior security officials, or whether he left.

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ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has confirmed that some party members were planning to oust President Cyril Ramaphosa at the ANC’s national general council (NGC) scheduled for early next month.

Briefing journalists after the national executive committee (NEC) meeting, Mbalula said Ramaphosa himself raised the matter in his political report over the weekend, revealing that certain individuals were mobilising to remove him.

According to Mbalula, Ramaphosa confronted those calling for his removal and challenged them to specify the date and time he should vacate office.

Mbalula said while the ANC constitution empowers members to remove a sitting president, such a move would require support from two-thirds of party structures, a threshold that has not been met anywhere in the organisation.

Instead, he said, a small group of members was attempting to “digress the party”, and he challenged them to come forward and reveal themselves.

“‘Ramaphosa must step down’ is a ghost. It doesn’t exist,” said Mbalula.

“Yes, it’s a ghost pursued by others, and they believe, in their own imagination, that such a thing will arise. They don’t want Ramaphosa because they were defeated at the conference,” he added.

Mbalula described Ramaphosa as “an asset to the ANC”, saying he had led the party through difficult economic and other challenges in a commendable manner.

Mbalula added that while disagreements were inevitable in a large organisation, they should not be expressed through rumour-mongering or negative campaigning.

He vowed that those pushing to remove Ramaphosa as party and state president would not succeed, stressing that Ramaphosa was elected by ANC branches.

“Ramaphosa was elected by the membership of the ANC, and his term ends in 2027. He is not going to step down because of faceless rumour-mongers,” Mbalula said.

“In the NEC, that matter never arose. No one called on the president to step down. He was simply addressing rumours circulating in the public domain — the same rumours I dealt with here last week.”

Mbalula accused some party members of using the media to spread claims that Ramaphosa would be removed at the NGC and replaced as president of the country.

He said he had already explained that these rumours were being pushed “at random” by people intent on misleading the public.

He warned that these forces were “hard at work”, using the media as a mouthpiece to distort the purpose of the NGC, which he said was meant to allow the party to take stock of its progress since the 2022 national conference.

The NGC, he added, would help the ANC “mop up” and emerge with renewed determination to regain its governing majority.

According to Mbalula, Ramaphosa told the NEC that those mobilising for his removal were “wasting their time” because he was prepared to face any challenge directly.

“The rumour mill claims the president is ready to go. There is nowhere the president is going,” Mbalula said.

“He is doing very well, leading a collective that will account to the general council. The issue of the president stepping down never arose — except among rumour-mongers trying to stir up structures. So far, that has failed, and it will fail.”

Mbalula said the secretary-general’s office remained focused on rebuilding the organisation, a task that required collective effort from members and branches.

He added that the leadership was engaging structures weekly ahead of the NGC, with discussions centred on strategy, tactics, and how to overcome coalition constraints by consolidating the ANC’s majority.

 This year’s ANC NGC will be held between 8 and 11 December in the East Rand, Gauteng.

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The African National Congress (ANC) has rebuked the Democratic Alliance (DA) for its persistent opposition to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), insisting the policy remains central to South Africa’s economic transformation agenda and will not be revised or abandoned to satisfy coalition partners in the Government of National Unity (GNU).

Addressing journalists during an ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) briefing in Germiston on Saturday, member Zuko Godlimpi delivered a forceful defence of B-BBEE and an equally sharp critique of the DA’s stance.

He described the DA’s arguments against empowerment as being rooted in false information and a fundamental misunderstanding of what B-BBEE is intended to achieve.

“I am totally convinced the Democratic Alliance does not know what B-BBEE is. Their entire objection is based on incorrect assumptions and misinformation. There is no data supporting the claims they make. We remain committed to Black Economic Empowerment as an unavoidable part of how to make South Africa work for all of us. It’s not going anywhere,” Godlimpi said.

The DA maintains that B-BBEE has harmed economic growth, entrenched elite enrichment, and should be replaced with a race-neutral, merit-based framework.

However, Godlimpi said such claims simply borrow from flawed academic arguments, referencing comments made by Witwatersrand academic William Gumede on the failure of B-BBEE, and ignore the historical injustices that the policy aims to reverse.

He stressed that the ANC would not allow DA objections to dictate the direction of the GNU or national policy.

“The NEC will not sit and discuss DA views. That will not happen. This is a red herring. We have not met the DA about their so-called alternative bill, and we have no intention of doing so,” he said.

Godlimpi also accused the DA of opportunistically trying to attach itself to structural reforms driven by the ANC, particularly those highlighted in the party’s recent 10-point plan.

He argued that the DA’s public attempt to claim credit for positive developments, such as progress in energy reforms, was dishonest.

“The DA will claim, for instance, that the turnaround at Eskom is their doing. It’s flatly a lie. The structural reforms have nothing to do with the Democratic Alliance. They started around 2020 with entities like the National Energy Crisis Committee and other ANC-led interventions. The DA was simply trying to ride on the positive momentum coming out of the NEC meeting,” he said.

While Godlimpi focused on the politics of policy, his NEC colleague David Masondo addressed the broader economic landscape.

Masondo welcomed South Africa’s recent credit rating upgrade, saying it demonstrated renewed confidence in the country’s fiscal direction.

“South Africa is on the right course. The credit rating upgrade is a positive signal, especially given the global economic environment,” Masondo said.

He added that the NEC had spent much of its meeting assessing the economy’s performance, including job creation trends, rising electricity costs, progress at Transnet, and the state’s capacity to deliver infrastructure projects.

Masondo said the ANC remained concerned about unemployment despite modest improvements, and emphasised the need for a comprehensive jobs plan to be finalised ahead of the party’s National General Council.

Masondo highlighted encouraging developments: an energy availability factor now above 70%, stronger-than-expected agricultural exports, and the positive impact of high gold prices on the trade surplus.

He said the ANC was satisfied that the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement continued to protect social spending at around 61% of the national budget.

But despite that positive macroeconomic momentum, Godlimpi insisted that structural inclusion, anchored by B-BBEE, remains non-negotiable.

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National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola has assured the nation that the country’s executive is in safe hands.

The assurance follows the reported shooting of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s motorcade recently.

His office confirmed the shooting, saying that an extensive investigation was underway, with the ballistics report already concluded. A high-level team was conducting the probe.

It said on Tuesday that members of the Presidential Protection Service who were assigned to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Mashatile were trained and possessed the necessary expertise and capabilities to avert any risk and threat. 

“The resources assigned to safeguard the executive are also adequate and designed to prevent any direct and imminent threat on their lives,” a statement read.

“While it is not common practice to discuss safety and security aspects of the executive, the national commissioner deems it fit to assure the country that sufficient resources are always assigned to safeguard members of the national executive.”

At the same time, crime intelligence was continuing with its regular risk and threat assessment on both the president and the deputy president. 

Masemola confirmed that security details of both the president and deputy president have been reinforced following the incident.

The convoy was reportedly shot at near Boksburg three weeks ago. The attack occurred as Mashatile was en route home following an African National Congress national executive committee meeting.

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The Economic Freedom Fighters has criticised the shooting involving the convoy of Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

The convoy was shot at near Boksburg three weeks ago. The attack occurred as Mashatile was en route home following an African National Congress national executive committee meeting.

The party voiced alarm over the apparent security breach and emphasised the need for urgent action to ensure the safety of the country’s leaders.

Calling for a thorough investigation, the EFF urged law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice and prevent similar incidents in the future.

“While internal dynamics within the African National Congress may be complex due to extreme factionalism, the safety and security of our nation’s leadership transcend partisan lines,” EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said in a statement on Monday.

“We, therefore, urge the relevant authorities to provide clarity on the circumstances surrounding this incident and to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.”

Mashatile was unharmed, and the police have confirmed that the matter is under active investigation, however, they have declined to give further details.

The EFF further said that it found troubling the continued silence from the Presidency and state security agencies about the specifics of the incident, emphasising that moments of such seriousness, transparency was not just necessary but critical.

“As the nation’s second-in-command, any attack on his person or attempt on his life is not only alarming but also poses a significant threat to national security… The public has the right to be informed about threats to national leaders, irrespective of political affiliations,” Thambo added.

The SA Communist Party has also voiced serious concern over the attack, warning against the potential decline of South Africa’s political environment into violence, lawlessness and bloodshed.

It further emphasised the importance of safeguarding democratic processes and called for swift action to prevent any further escalation of politically motivated incidents.

“This criminal act represents not only an assault on an individual but a direct attack on the democratic institutions of our republic. Such actions are intolerable and must be met with the full force of the law,” said SACP spokesperson Alex Mashilo.

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