The ANC’s provincial executive committee (PEC) in KwaZulu-Natal is not only teetering on the brink of disbandment but also lost its kingmaker crown as the party’s largest province, largely due to a blow dealt by former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party.
Sunday World learnt that ANC chairman Gwede Mantashe presented this devastating information to the special meeting between the party’s national working committee (NWC) and the PEC on Monday, where the party’s decline in electoral support in KwaZulu-Natal was under intense scrutiny.
Mantashe did not elaborate on the extent to which the province had bled membership and, consequently, which province now holds the title of being the biggest voting bloc in the ANC. At the last ANC conference in 2022, KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 877 of the 4250 delegates, followed by Eastern Cape at 684 and Limpopo at 613. Candidates for the party’s top posts needed just over 2125 votes to get elected where it was a two-horse race.
“Mantashe told them that they have lost their majority status, and the next time they stand up to speak in the national conference, other delegates will ask, ‘Who are you?’” said another person with knowledge of discussions.
During Monday’s meeting, the PEC presented its case to the NWC, highlighting various challenges, including the infiltration by so-called “Jacob Zuma sleepers” and the ongoing influence of the MK Party within the province.
Adding to their woes, the province’s performance in the May 29 elections was dismal, securing just 17% of the vote.
Also on fire during the NWC meeting was ANC Veterans League President Snuki
Zikalala, who allegedly accused the ANC KwaZulu-Natal leaders of being “arrogant”.
Zikalala also raised concerns about the political maturity and effectiveness of the current leadership of provincial chairperson Siboniso Duma and secretary Bheki Mtolo.
Called for comment, Mantashe said he would not discuss his submission during the closed meeting with the media. However, he denied that the option to dissolve the
KwaZulu-Natal ANC executives was ever discussed.
“That was not a discussion of the NWC. The matter will only be decided by the national executive committee (NEC). We received a report from KwaZulu-Natal, and we gave them our perspective.
“There was no proposal to disband,” said Mantashe.
He said the NWC would meet before the NEC to assess if there was any concrete proposal they wished to table. Zikalala could not be reached for comment.
Sunday World understands that the NWC is due to meet with the ANC Gauteng PEC tomorrow to receive a report on the assessment of its electoral performance.
A follow-up NWC meeting is due later next week to conduct a debrief on discussions with both provinces, and the majority of the 27-member committee was lobbying for the KwaZulu-Natal PEC to be dissolved; otherwise, the party risks a further electoral decline in the province in the upcoming 2026 local government elections.
“There are no specific discussions yet regarding potential interim leaders in the event of a disbandment but the majority opinion within the NWC favours such an action,” said a Luthuli House source.
In its defence, the KwaZulu-Natal PEC presented to the NWC its plans for renewal and rebuilding the organisation, enlisting prominent ANC figures such as Zweli
Mkhize and Sibongile Besani in their efforts.
However, the NWC noted a lack of concrete progress, as the renewal programme was only adopted two weeks ago and no significant developments have been reported.
