The ANC has suffered a substantial decline in membership across all provinces, raising fresh concerns over the party’s internal cohesion and strengths as it prepares for pivotal local government elections in 2026.
Newly disclosed figures show that total ANC membership in good standing fell from 691,381 in August 2022 to 494,146 by October 2024. This is a loss of nearly 200,000 members, or 29%.
Although a partial recovery was recorded by December 2024, with membership rising to 584,357, the party remains well below its pre-2022 levels.
The party’s 2024 annual report, released this week, attributes the decline to various issues, including loss of engagement among traditional ANC supporters, particularly within the middle class and organised labour. The party’s multiracial character has also come under strain, with several provinces detecting reduced participation from minority parties.
“All provinces report that members are drawn predominantly from various strata of the motive forces, but particularly the working class, the unemployed, rural men and women, as well as sections of the middle strata. Increasingly, however, the middle strata and organised workers, especially in the public sector, have withdrawn from participation in ANC structures, often as the fiercest critics of the ANC,” the report reads.
Dramatic shift
The decline in membership reflects a dramatic shift in SA’s political landscape, which has been dominated by the ANC at the helm of governance for 30 years. In 2024, the ANC lost its parliamentary majority, prompting it to form a coalition government with other parties.
The ANC suffered its most humiliating defeat at the polls in 30 years as its share of the vote plunged 17 percentage points, from 57% in 2019 to 40% in 2024.
The ANC’s annual report also attributes the decline in electoral support to reasons including its public image, which has been dented by “corruption scandals and governance challenges. The formation of the government of national unity (GNU), the decline of traditional media and the rise of digital platforms, as well as the rise of AI, have all contributed to a challenging communications landscape,” the report reads.
“Public perceptions of the ANC remain dominated by narratives of corruption and inefficiency, resulting in diminished trust and respect for the party’s pronouncements. Over time, mainstream media have adopted an increasingly critical and adversarial stance towards the ANC, both as a political movement and as the governing party.”
Rift with partners
The GNU, established in the aftermath of the 2024 elections, has caused a rift between the ANC and its alliance partners, with the SA Communist Party (SACP) accusing the ANC of compromising ideological principles by forming a coalition that includes the DA and the Freedom Front Plus, previously its fiercest rivals.
The GNU is set to feature prominently during the ANC’s national executive meeting next week. The year-long coalition has come under strain as the two anchor parties, the ANC and the DA, continue to fight over the country’s economic and foreign policies.
“The disagreements between the ANC and the SACP on the tactic of the GNU, where the alliance felt left out in the negotiations, are therefore unfortunate and we continue to engage on the matter and listen,” the report reads.
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