The stability of the GNU will also be on the agenda at the NEC meeting.
The ANC national executive committee (NEC) is scheduled to deliberate over the weekend on various issues, including discussing strategy on how to tackle the upcoming 2026 local government elections.
Without a deep elaboration, an ANC source said the agenda would be full of matters of national and international importance. The source indicated that the pressure of increased tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump and the recognition of the Palestinian State will feature prominently on the NEC agenda.
Poor election results
The ANC is yet to recover from the May 2024 national election, where it received a paltry 40%, which forced it to cobble together a government of national unity (GNU) with at least 10 former opposition political parties. The loss of the parliamentary majority has the party searching for solutions to redirect the attention of disgruntled voters in its favour, as citizens seek alternatives after three decades of unmet promises by the ruling party.
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The party is faced with multiple crises. It had to shelve the NEC meeting recently amid an electoral loss in a Western Cape by-election. It also had to attend to a new crisis surrounding the suspension of Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, after KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused him of interfering with criminal investigations.
The allegations resulted in President Cyril Ramaphosa appointing a judicial commission of inquiry, chaired by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, to probe the allegations of corruption in the criminal justice system.
Stability of the GNU
The stability of the GNU is another issue that causes sleepless nights for President Cyril Ramaphosa, as the DA continues to challenge some of the ANC’s decisions. Unity within the GNU was tested once more when the DA threatened to rock the boat after the president fired the DA’s Andrew Whitfield as deputy minister of trade, industry and competition in June.
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The ANC is also confronted by a possible split of its votes in future elections after the SACP decided to contest the 2026 local polls on its own. The SACP has not yet shown signs of reversing its decision despite increasing criticism from within the tripartite alliance.
The NEC, to sit from Friday until Monday, will also evaluate its local government intervention strategy to improve service delivery. This entails undertaking a review of the 1998 Local Government White Paper to enhance the effectiveness of local government.
ANC gains
So far, its gains are the stabilisation of the national grid, with a 70% energy availability factor, representing a 48% improvement since 2023.
“Our work includes addressing the perennial problem of load reduction. The people have spoken, we listened, and acted,” a senior party source said.
South Africa was also acknowledged for building social protection, achieving the sustainable development goals and curbing illicit capital flows as recognised by the G20 Skukuza Declaration.
“We go to the NEC meeting buoyed by the declaration of the Liberation Movement Summit which committed the liberation movements to the service of the people. The ANC will continue with its agenda of building a better Africa and a better world for a peaceful global order and pursuing new ventures in the space of bilateral relations and inclusive multilateralism. This geo-political shift presents plenty of opportunities for economic growth, prosperity and new partnerships,” the ANC member said.
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