THE speculation about the future of the African National Congress (ANC) provincial structures in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is likely end this week.
This after the ANC was expected to announce the fate of Gauteng and KZN provincial structures following its normal National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting over the weekend, where the fate of the two once-powerful provinces was discussed.
The meeting took place at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg, Gauteng.
With the ANC facing challenges following poor electoral performances, particularly in KZN, party officials are considering harsh measures, including the possible disbandment of the respective struggling provincial executive committees. Siboniso Duma is the chairperson of party in KZN, while Panyaza Lesufi leads in Gauteng.
The party announced on social media pages that the NEC “rigorously” engaged several reports tabled before the top structure, including “diagnostic insights on the state our organisation, particularly in Gauteng and KZN.”
Previously, Cape Times sister publication, the Daily News, had reported that the party completed its investigation into the reasons behind its dismal electoral performance in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
The ANC’s highest decision-making body between national conferences, is considering three potential courses of action for Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
The party faced significant setbacks in both provinces, resulting in a loss of support that led to the implementation of a Government of Provincial Unity (GPU).
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has urged against rampant speculation, asserting that the party should be allowed to make its own decisions without external pressure. The upcoming NEC meeting aims to address key issues, including the fate of the two provinces that have seen dwindling support in the lead-up to the May 2024 general election.
In a stark reflection of the ANC's struggles, the party's voter share in KwaZulu-Natal has plummeted to a mere 17 percent—indicative of the significant political shifts in the region. Mbalula's recent statements confirmed that discussions regarding the two provinces were at the forefront of the NEC's agenda.
He noted, “We are meeting in this special NEC meeting... as we were dealing with [issues] related to Gauteng and KZN. We have had interactions with both provinces before and after the elections. In our second meeting we interacted with the Provincial Executive Committee and we shared our experience and the report from the branches.
“We thereafter met with the PECs and we discussed the reports. At the end of that meeting, the National Working Committee (NWC) consolidated its report and considered the report in relation to the challenges we are facing in the provinces. The first option was to maintain the status quo, to do nothing about it a and the second option was reinforcement and consolidation of the structures and the third option was to dissolve the structures and start afresh,” he said.
The deliberations during the NEC will assess various options for the party’s regional structures. Mbalula outlined these possibilities, including maintaining the status quo, bolstering the existing leadership, or undertaking the drastic step of dissolving the provincial structures to start afresh.
“Nobody is dissolved,” Mbalula told the media. “The dissolution is but one of the options that will be considered.”
He elaborated that a thorough overview and analysis of the challenges faced by both provinces will influence the NEC's decision-making process.
The meeting’s outcomes could spell a transformative change within the ANC, especially as the party attempts to regain lost ground in critical regions ahead of the upcoming elections.
Political analyst, Thobani Zikalala, has maintained that the ANC has “misdiagnosed” the problem.
“The ANC does not clean house, the ANC does not change its ways. What it does is that it just removes a few rotten apples and continues with its political program and its political practice which has been seen by the people of South Africa as being problematic. The economic program of the ANC has failed to transform the lives of the people of South Africa,” said Zikalala.
He added: “The political structure and the political programme that they have built since 1994 has failed. That is the core problem of the ANC.”
ANC spokesperson in KZN, Mafika Mndebele, recently told the Daily News that: “As the KZN leadership, our work remains informed not by fear or speculation, but by unwavering dedication to the ANC’s values and the missing to transform South Africa for the better.”
Cape Times