President Cyril Ramaphosa has identified the weaknesses in the ANC branches as a significant factor contributing to the party’s electoral decline.
Speaking yesterday at the ANC’s 113th birthday celebrations in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, he drummed up the urgent need for the party to renew itself or face the risk of fading into political obscurity.
“Strong ANC branches are essential for our survival,” Ramaphosa declared.
He stressed that these branches should serve as “centres of development” within communities, actively engaging with citizens to address their challenges and grievances.
This, he said, was the cornerstone of the ANC’s renewal agenda and a task that demands greater urgency and determination from all party structures.
Ramaphosa was clear in his message: “There is no turning back.”
The party’s renewal efforts also include an accountability framework to hold elected leaders and public representatives responsible for their actions.
He warned that “the criminals, the corrupt, the careerists, extortionists and factionalists” would find themselves outside the ANC if their conduct conflicted with the party’s values.
Ramaphosa also used his January 8 speech to call for unity within the strained tripartite alliance while both SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila and national chairperson Blade Nzimande were absent from the festivities. Mapaila ditched the celebrations in Cape Town to travel to Venezuela, where he attended the inauguration of Nicholas Maduro while Nzimande was in KwaZulu-Natal.
Speaking about the advancement of the national democratic revolution (NDR), Ramaphosa explained it was only possible if the alliance was united.
“We have made substantial progress in achieving the objectives of the NDR because we have had an alliance that has been united and single-minded. To continue to achieve the change we envisage requires strong organisation, ongoing mass mobilisation of society and unity of progressive forces.”
Ramaphosa made this plea off the back of news of the SACP’s decision to contest the 2026 elections independently. The SACP has expressed its contempt for the ANC’s decision to work with the DA to form a government of national unity (GNU).
Ahead of the celebrations, the ANC was at a crossroads this week as the party’s national executive committee (NEC) faced the daunting task of deciding how to use the upcoming January 8 statement to reposition itself after taking a significant hit in the May 2024 polls.
With losses that shook the party’s long-standing dominance, the governing party is in a reflective mode, trying to figure out its place in a rapidly changing political landscape.
Thoko Didiza, head of the ANC NEC drafting subcommittee, stepped into the spotlight by presenting a draft of the speech that Ramaphosa was supposed to deliver at the anniversary celebrations. But what should have been a straightforward task turned into a heated debate.
The main question? Whether or not to shine a light on the GNU. On one side of the aisle, there were those who believed that highlighting the GNU would underscore the ANC’s ability to bring different political factions together.
Yet, for some in the NEC, like former Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina, repeatedly referencing the GNU seemed counterproductive.
Another debate that stirred emotions was whether to mention former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party.
Again, opinions were divided. Some warned it would give Zuma unnecessary airtime, but others, including former Gauteng premier David Makhura, believe it would be a way for Ramaphosa to show strength.
