As leaders of the governing ANC crisscross the country to debrief with structures on the reasons behind the recent poor electoral performance, one of the party’s biggest regions, Ekurhuleni in Gauteng, has provided its own assessment and proposed a way forward.
The Ekurhuleni report, presented at the last meeting of the ANC national working committee with regional leaders of Gauteng, provided a thorough assessment of the election campaign, outlining its phases, challenges, and outcomes.
The presenter and ANC Ekurhuleni Regional Coordinator, Jongizizwe Dlabathi, noted a delayed start to campaign activities. A major issue was the lack of volunteers, which slowed recruitment and overall momentum.
Despite over 170,000 new voters, Dlabathi said it was challenging to identify the remaining unregistered voters.
Structures, logistics and on-the-ground challenges
Election structures were inconsistently appointed. Logistical issues, such as a lack of refreshments during training sessions, hampered coordinator training.
“Door-to-door work started very late. Many branches failing to provide answers around the issues of load shedding and challenges of tarring or paving of streets. Water challenges, and house allocations as well,” he said. He added that lack of employment was amongst the main issues raised during door-to-door.
Resource constraints, he said, affected reporting, and ward councillors were minimally involved.
“Loud hailing for voter registration was found not to have been massively and effectively undertaken. Our voter registration campaign was not aggressively appealing to young people at this stage.”
According to Dlabathi, there was an improvement in momentum and morale during the “Mayihlome phase”. The party emphasised that its lobbyists intensify voter contact during this phase. However, postering faced issues due to low-quality posters and late deliveries.
Voter contact, operational challenges
The report emphasised the need for innovative strategies in semi-urban and urban areas. These are where traditional methods were less effective. Mobilisation for rallies was efficient, supported by decentralised catering and timely distribution of water and T-shirts. However, poor coordination and late bus arrivals negatively impacted rally attendance.
Dlabathi said that on election day, operational centres were functional, and party agents had authorisation forms. Though there was a shortage of agents in suburban areas. They provided catering and transportation. But logistical problems persisted on the special vote day.
He added that printed voter rolls, lighting problems, late ballot paper arrivals, and malfunctioning IEC devices resulted in long lines and operational inefficiencies.
Dlabathi said a significant portion of the electorate was unfamiliar with Section 19 of the Electoral Act. Inadequate monitoring by presiding officers led to incidents in which a single voter received multiple ballot papers.
He said that many special votes were unrecorded, disenfranchising registered voters. New voting laws restricting ballots to specific voting districts, wards, and areas further hampered voters.
MK Party, lack of voter appreciation programme
He continued: “The formation of the MK Party had a negative impact on the campaign. This translated to several comrades joining the newly formed MKP. Including former councillors and current and former [branch leaders].”
To improve future campaigns, the report suggested that the ANC should hold public meetings. This in order to promote engagement and accountability. The report added that the party must keep election structures active and promote continuous training. Enforce discipline among election structures and volunteers.
The ANC must appoint competent and experienced comrades to election responsibilities. Focus on basic service delivery to create a better environment for campaigns. And implement a thank-you programme to appreciate ANC voters, said the report.
