ANC branches and regions in KwaZulu-Natal have warned that if the party fails to change its posture against its splinter grouping the MKP, it will further face decline in the province.
Sunday World understands several branches in the party’s General Gizenga Mpanza region, formerly Greater KwaDukuza on the north coast of the province, led the charge.
The region was once the ANC’s stronghold but during the May general elections it was reduced to minnows by the Jacob Zuma-led party.
The bruising defeat angered, among others, one of the ANC’s senior regional leaders, Dolly Shandu, who labelled those who had mobilised for MKP sellouts.
“We were running around with traitors using our resources. We are penniless today after using our resources to feed the dogs who voted for MK,” Shandu lashed out after the elections.
The region, together with eThekwini and Musa Dladla region, which covers mainly areas under the King Cetshwayo district, northern KZN, believes the MKP is their saviour.
They want the two parties to enter a governing pact, which will see them governing certain municipalities that might be hung after the municipal elections, which are 18 months away.
“We told comrades that we must not treat the MK Party as our enemies. If we fail to talk to uNxamalala (Zuma) and bury the hatchet, we don’t stand a chance in the upcoming local government elections. It will be a bloodbath,” Msizi Msweli, a branch leader in Mandeni, told Sunday World on Saturday.
Overall, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal suffered a heavy blow, only managing a paltry 17% share of the provincial vote in the general elections. This was a drop of close to 40% when compared to the 54% the party had recorded in 2019.
Another branch leader, Zimisele Mdunge, who was among the vocal members during the engagement with the national working committee (NWC) members, said: “We can’t fool ourselves. The MK Party is our biggest electoral threat. We submitted that the only way we can defeat them is to bring them closer,” said Mdunge.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa this week led the NWC to ascertain some of the reasons why the party declined across all 11 regions. A similar exercise will be carried out throughout all provinces.
Zuko Godlimpi, ANC acting spokesperson, denied the branches asked the top structures to consider its relationship with the MKP. “The ANC is approaching the 2026 local government elections with the sole intention of winning an outright majority,” Godlimpi said.
