In an unprecedented political shake-up designed to isolate poor candidates for the make-or-break municipal elections next year, ANC councillors in North West are due to be subjected to a strict vetting process as the governing party, bruised and battered from electoral losses, aims to claw back lost ground.
ANC provincial chairperson Nono Maloyi told Sunday World in an interview this week that the era of invisible, self-serving councillors is over, adding that the provincial executive committee (PEC) has resolved that every councillor must face
rigorous performance scrutiny.
“Every councillor will be assessed. Those who have failed in their responsibilities or brought the organisation into disrepute will not return,” said Maloyi. The vetting will include consultations with communities, ANC branches, and structures of the tripartite alliance. Councillors will also be asked to account for their performance before final decisions are made.
To demonstrate decisiveness, Maloyi shared that the PEC has since written to the ANC’s national executive committee, asking for support to dissolve the Mamusa local municipality in Schweizer-Reneke and appoint an administrator until fresh elections are held.
The Mamusa case is part of the dossiers sent to Luthuli House – heavy with allegations of absenteeism, corruption, nepotism and open rebellion against party mandates – asking for support and, in some cases, permission to wield the axe. Other troublesome municipalities under the radar include Madibeng in Brits, JB Marks in Potchefstroom and Rustenburg.
Maloyi said the aim was to clean house and clear the deck for a winning slate the national bigwigs can trust to claw back lost ground.
“We’re not witch-hunting. We’re spring cleaning,” he declared. “Councillors will be given a fair hearing, but non-performance will not be tolerated.”
The province, under siege by community uprisings, service delivery meltdowns and ANC factional squabbles, is desperate to convince Luthuli House that it can police its own backyard. The PEC has already put dysfunctional municipalities on notice. This include councils where service delivery has collapsed and where ANC infighting has left governance in tatters.
“We have councillors who are not attending council meetings, who have defied the organisation’s instructions, and who are actively working against service delivery. Those people cannot continue representing the ANC,” Maloyi said.
Councillors will be judged based on public audits – attendance registers, caucus voting records, feedback from administrators, ANC branches and community forums.
Some, accused of using their positions for personal gain, mischief, and or mobilising against their own mayors, may find their days of privilege numbered.
“We are starting with municipalities that have been flagged as dysfunctional. We want to remove councillors who are part of the problem,” said Maloyi.
He also revealed that in several municipalities, councillors were allegedly involved in instigating or supporting community protests to create instability for political ends.
“We have reports that some councillors mobilised against their own mayors or speakers for factional reasons. That is completely unacceptable,” he said.
“In some cases, councillors have been accused of interfering in procurement processes, pushing their relatives for municipal jobs, and undermining the party. We have received dossiers, and we are investigating,” Maloyi said
The 2026 polls will be the first municipal polls since the ANC’s significant electoral decline in 2021, when the party lost control of several councils and dropped below 50% in key areas such as Rustenburg, Ditsobotla, and Tswaing.
Maloyi said the vetting process was one of several internal reforms the ANC is implementing to regain voter confidence in the province.
“We’ve heard the message from the communities. People are tired of councillors who use their positions for self-interest or who are invisible between elections. We must change course,” he said.
He said the PEC would also review how candidate nominations were handled by branches ahead of the 2021 local elections, amid concerns that some councillors were selected through manipulated or irregular processes.
“We know that in some cases people were nominated not because of their ability but because of loyalty to individuals. We are dealing with that,” Maloyi said.
He added that the provincial list committee will be reconstituted with a new mandate to enforce stricter rules on eligibility and transparency in the nomination process.
The final say on who makes the cut for 2026 still flows from the ANC’s national executive, who will review the province’s progress report and, if satisfied, give a green light for the new, “clean” list of deployees.
The PEC wants to prove it can deliver both order and victory.
“We will not make the same mistake,” he said.
