ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula is accused of plotting to disband the party’s KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provincial task team (PTT) in furtherance of his 2027 presidential bid.
Mbalula visited the province last weekend to meet with the party’s regions and is due back in the province this weekend to visit the remaining regions.
According to insiders, the ANC boss plans to compile a report saying the PTT is dysfunctional and propose to his ANC colleagues at Luthuli House and the national working committee (NWC) that it be changed.
ANC National Spokesperson, Hlengiwe Bhengu said the visit to KwaZulu Natal was “a directive of the National Working Committee whose sole aim is to assess the state of regions with a view to reinforcing all our structures.”
The insiders revealed to Sunday World that Mbalula’s true intention is to implement changes due to the resistance of the current task team members.
They said Mbalula, an ANC presidential hopeful, had hoped that those appointed to the task team, especially its leaders Jeff Radebe and Mike Mabuyakhulu, would do his bidding ahead of the December 2027 ANC national conference.
“Mbaks has fallen out totally with the leaders of the PTT, especially Jeff (Radebe), who is said to be building his own presidential campaign for 2027, which has irked Mbalula because that will counter his own presidential bid,” said a leader close to the developments.
A senior member of the ANC’s higher structures claimed Mbalula was responsible for losing control over the PTT.
They said it was the same with the Gauteng PTT, where the secretary-general had hoped the likes of coordinator Hope Papo were going to do his bidding. However, the situation is said to be more dire in KZN because he allegedly packed the PTT with people whose political careers were said to be in the wilderness. “He brought them back. So, instead of working for him, they have taken this as an
opportunity to revive their careers,” an insider said.
Sunday World also learned that Mbalula wants to reduce the PTT’s size from the more than 60 members to about 35.
His critics blamed him for the bloated size of the structure, a decision he previously defended, saying it was always bound to be dysfunctional to have a large temporary structure without a full mandate.
“The size was a blunder in the first place; you can never get more than 60 people who are unelected making sound decisions, especially with people who have been outside the game for a long time. Those people are only interested in re-establishing themselves for the next conference so they can get elected.”
Senior leaders that Sunday World spoke to said Mbalula is going to struggle to get his way because he must get the approval of the national executive committee (NEC). This approval, they said, even if granted, is likely to entail strict conditions that will make it difficult for him to deploy “his people” in whatever new iteration of the PTT.
He would first have to explain the performance of the current PTT and provide details on when and how he realised it was failing.
“He cannot reshuffle or change the PTT as an individual; he must come to the NEC. He wants to establish himself through that PTT. He created it for that purpose, but they are not doing his bidding but the bidding of the ANC, and he does not want that,” said the leader.
“His main gripe is that members of the current PTT are not toeing his line. Sadly, for him, he cannot take the decision to make changes alone, but ultimately, he must table a report before the NEC, which must approve or decline whatever recommendation he makes.”
Mbalula’s planned reorganisation of the KZN PTT has been long overdue, as he shifted his stance towards the end of last year. Originally referring to the PTT as a “Ferrari” to counter the rise of MKP in KwaZulu-Natal, he changed his stance a few months ago around the ANC national general council, now calling them a “Toyota Tazz” that cannot keep up with Jacob Zuma’s party.
It became obvious that plans were being developed to implement changes in an ANC province currently experiencing turmoil. KZN is yet to convene regional conferences as a build-up to a provincial conference to elect new leaders.
Mbalula did not respond to requests for comment.
