The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is rebuilding its branches after a task team was formed to stabilise the province.
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party has criticised the ANC and its president, Cyril Ramaphosa, for allegedly trying to woo voters in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) by handing out houses and compensating them as victims of apartheid-era crimes.
This comes after Ramaphosa and the Justice and Constitutional Development Ministry launched the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Housing Assistance Reparations programmes on Tuesday in Ndwedwe, Northern KZN.
The community of Ndwedwe was affected by apartheid era violence in the 80s and early 90s, leading many families to flee their homes. More than 400 families have been identified as affected, but just over 200 have been approved for housing benefits. The programme will also run in other parts of the country.
“While any assistance to apartheid victims is long overdue, this event is a classic ANC election stunt, timed deliberately ahead of the 2026 local government elections in a province the ANC has failed and destabilised.
“For 32 years, the ANC has dragged its feet on implementing the TRC recommendations. Victims grew old and died waiting. Now, suddenly, in April 2026, Ramaphosa arrives in Ndwedwe with symbolic cheques and big speeches about reconciliation. This is not genuine remorse or commitment; it is damage control and vote-seeking in KwaZulu-Natal,” said MK party spokesperson, Nhlamulo Ndhlela.
Is it too little, too late?
Ndhlela described the amount of money set aside for each house as a “token”.
“While a small number of verified victims receive assistance, millions of our people, the children, and grandchildren of those who suffered, continue to live in shacks, without proper houses, without land and without dignity.
“The ANC has completely failed on housing delivery, land reform and broad reparations. Ndwedwe suffered heavily during the apartheid-era violence and the painful conflicts of the late 1980s and early 1990s.”
According to Ndhlela, genuine reparations should include radical expropriation of land without compensation to restore what was stolen; a massive, properly administered reparations programme that benefits entire communities, not just a select few; and decisive action on the full TRC recommendations, including accountability for those who committed gross violations.
Symbolic cheques
Speaking at the event on Tuesday, Ramaphosa told those gathered in Ndwedwe that this programme is necessary to correct the injustices of the past. He also handed out symbolic cheques to the beneficiaries.
“We are affirming that our future is built on remembering our past, our past we will never forget, but at the same time we will take every step to correct the injustices that were committed, even though they were not committed by the democratic government,” he said.
ANC history in KZN
This is not the first time that the MK party has accused the ANC of using government resources to campaign in KZN. Last month, the government erected two giant statues of ANC legends Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela. The statues were unveiled in Durban.
But their unveiling received backlash from political parties who accused the ANC of trying to guilt-trip the residents of eThekwini into voting for the ANC because of its historic success in defeating apartheid.
The ANC has lost power in KZN; it is now in a power-sharing arrangement with a coalition led by the IFP. The ANC lost many municipalities in the 2021 local government elections. In KZN, these losses were mainly in parts of northern KZN and led to the party forming coalitions with other parties.
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