The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is seeking to recover from its drastic decline in the province and deal with “existential threats” by auditing branches and verifying membership, to ensure the party’s processes are credible ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
The ANC’s plunge in support in KwaZulu-Natal, from 54% to 17%, was a wake-up call, forcing it to form a coalition government with the IFP, DA and NFP to maintain power in the province.
The party’s poor performance has been attributed to various factors, including factionalism, corruption and arrogance. In response, the ANC has established a 67-member provincial task team, led by veteran politician Jeff Radebe, to address these internal issues and restore the party’s credibility.
The emergence of the Jacob Zuma-led MK party, which gained the majority of the votes in 2024, also led to the drastic decline in the ANC’s voter share.
“We have to be honest with the people of that we face an existential threat, which requires all of us to take drastic measures to turn things around. This collective aims to ensure we bring our people back home to the ANC.”
“We start from ground zero. We have been appointed to restore confidence in the ANC by the people; 17% is a disaster, it reflects the arrogance of the ANC has cost us the votes,” Radebe said on Wednesday.
“I and my colleagues, we come with a fresh perspective that we want to start from ground zero to move brick by brick, root and branch, to ensure all the mistakes the ANC made previously are corrected timeously and we get back to where we are supposed to be.”
“We have made it clear to all 67 of us that this leadership has no space for corruption. We are intolerant of corruption, regardless of who they are. We will never allow anyone of the leadership in to use their positions to gain advantage by corrupt means.”
Similarly, in Gauteng, the provincial task team led by co-conveners Amos Masondo and premier Panyaza Lesufi has set its sights on rebuilding the provincial branches and going on a recruitment drive ahead of the elections.
The party won just 34% of the vote in the province in the 2024 general election.
“Once the accurate status of our membership has been confirmed by the organising subcommittee, the task team will be in a position to consider a detailed renewal and recruitment programme,” the party said in a statement following a meeting on Monday.
“The primary focus and goal will be to ensure we have properly constituted branches in our wards.”
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