ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s National General Council (NGC) midterm report has painted a picture of ANC branches in a state of crisis.
If not reporting inadequately about work they do, ANC branches are electing old people almost age 50 against the national median average age of 28, while some have shown total disregard for gender parity.
These are some of the negatives contained in Mbalula’s detailed 294-page report, which was delivered on Day 1 of the NGC held in Birchwood Conference Centre, east of Gauteng.
‘In progress’ fast becoming part of reporting culture
When branches are called upon to report to higher structures, “in progress” has become a popular feature, though it is not followed by any evidence backing this up.
Going forward, Mbalula wants documentary evidence in instances where branches claim their work is in “progress” or else it will be assumed that such work never started.
“There is a clear subjective bias risk, where branches may choose ‘In Progress’ instead of ‘Not Yet Started’ to avoid appearing inactive. In the follow-up assessment, branches will be required to upload evidence for each activity so that we can verify the work and zoom deeper into the areas where activity is overstated or unclear,” reads Mbalula’s report.
“Branch Election Work: 82.7% of branches say they have started preparing for LGE 2026, but the activity data shows preparation is uneven. Across all election tasks, branches cluster around ‘In Progress’ and ‘Not Yet Started,’ indicating partial execution rather than full rollout.
Voter education uneven
“Street sheet follow-up is active, but completion remains low. Volunteer database updates show high ‘In Progress’ numbers but limited completion. Door-to-door mobilisation is happening but is still split between ‘In Progress’ and ‘Not Yet Started.’ Sectoral engagement and voter education show the same uneven trend,” it goes on.
“The state of branches is directly linked to insufficient national investments in branch development, induction and training, now even during election campaigns. Many branches, therefore, do not have the capacity to develop and implement programmes, and to become spaces where members develop politically as activists and cadres. This, coupled with negative practices such as gatekeeping and conference branches, undermines the standing of the ANC.”
In the gender parity space, Mpumalanga was outed as the most patriarchal, with two-thirds of their branches led by men.
Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal are the two other culprits, with male branch secretaries heavily outnumbering female secretaries.
Nationally, 58.1% of ANC branch secretaries are male, and 41.9% are women but Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Northern Cape show stronger female representation.
Northern Cape is the only province with a 50/50 parity.
On age matters, the likelihood of finding a gogo or mkhulu leading an ANC branch than a young person is much higher.
“The average age for ANC branch chairpersons is 49.3 years, with female branch chairpersons slightly older. Overall, the profile indicates that branch administrative leadership is anchored in an older age group, with very limited representation of younger cadres in chairperson positions. This is a challenge for intergenerational transition, when the median age in South Africa now stands at 28 years.”
