A battle is looming within the ANC with the party's national working committee (NWC) expected to meet the provincial executive committees in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng on Monday.
At least four provincial leaders in KwaZulu-Natal said that they would lobby during the meeting for the party to disband its structure. The ANC has been grappling with whether it should disband these two provinces after a dismal showing in the elections. But KZN provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo has fired a salvo against the ANC leadership claiming that the national party leaders must also accept responsibility for the electoral loss.
“The national executive committee led by President Cyril Ramaphosa and secretary-general Fikile Mbalula lost the country with that 40%, they must take that responsibility,” he said.
Speaking on Thursday evening in KZN, Mtolo — who has been put at the centre of the issues facing the party in the province — said its regional, provincial and national leaders were not willing to take responsibility for their electoral challenges.
“We lost power during the elections. You would swear that the ANC lost power in KZN alone if you were not in the country and listening to ANC members, but the truth is that the ANC started losing power and support in 2009. While it was growing in KZN, it lost support in all other provinces. It lost support in 2009 except in KZN, in 2014 it lost support except in KZN.
“No-one wants to admit that they were part of the problem. Some act like they were never in the courts watching people burning ANC T-shirts or allowing people to insult leaders of the other faction. We were all a part of this,” Mtolo said. He added the ANC must be honest and stop pointing fingers.
Mtolo was speaking a day after Mbalula sent him a letter summoning the entire provincial executive committee to a meeting. The meeting was to be held on Saturday, however, TimesLIVE Premium understands it will now take place on Monday.
He said the provincial leaders had taken responsibility for losing elections in the province, but all structures must accept their own responsibility.
The majority of NWC members have already indicated during previous meetings that they want to overhaul the KZN province to counter the Jacob Zuma-led MK Party.
The body will give its recommendations to the national executive committee when it meets on December 13.
According to insiders, the ANC's biggest headache has been whether the party can retain or regain some of the lost ground in the 2026 local government elections against the IFP and MK party in KZN
According to insiders, the ANC's biggest headache has been whether the party can retain or regain some of the lost ground in the 2026 local government elections against the IFP and MK party in KZN.
One provincial insider who spoke to TimesLIVE Premium placed doubt on whether the current leadership would be able to contest against Zuma's popularity in the province. The high-ranking KZN leader said their biggest problem was how the provincial leadership had conducted itself in the lead up to the elections.
Another challenge was that the party believes they still have MK party sleeper agents within their ranks.
“We must disband to renew. We must cut out the cancer and heal as an organisation. Zuma is not just a problem for the provincial leadership. You must understand that even the structures on the ground have been infiltrated and the only way we can clean up is by sweeping out the dirt,” the KZN leader said.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has also referred to sleeper agents as a crisis within the party in the province.
In a previous interview with the Sunday Times, Mbalula said the party believed that many more of its members in regions and branches support Zuma's party.
“Zuma became a factor in KZN. The IFP was not really a big challenge for us. The big challenge was Jacob Zuma, so there was nothing there to cushion us and that vote, that 2-million, left us and went into the hands of Zuma, nothing else.”
Mbalula said the Zuma factor accounted for a splinter group within the ANC.
Another provincial leader in KZN said they are hoping a disbandment will “smoke out” those MK party members who are still within its ranks.
The party leader said that for the ANC to regain lost ground ahead of the local government elections it must bring in national leaders to the province as part of its intervention.
The KZN leadership is accused of having refused an order to work with veteran party leaders who were deployed to the province in the lead up to the elections. Veteran KZN leaders including Sbu Ndebele, Mike Mabuyakhulu, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Zweli Mkhize were sidelined by the provincial leadership in the lead up to the elections.
The ANC's deputy secretary-general admitted to this in a previous interview with Sunday Times. Mokonyane, who was against a disbandment, said self-correction was more important than rejection.
In KZN, the party received less than 17% of the vote after its structures and resources were reportedly usurped by the MK party.
The ANC eventually entered into a government of provincial unity led by the IFP, ensuring it still had a role in governance.
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