In an emotionally charged ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting last weekend, the party’s Gauteng provincial secretary, Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza, and KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial chairperson, Siboniso Duma, fiercely opposed the disbandment of their respective executive committees, daring the NEC to scrutinise itself with the same intensity. This as former KwaZulu-Natal leaders Sihle Zikalala, Senzo Mchunu and Mdumiseni Ntuli among others, pushed for the disbandment of the two structures.
Comparison between Gauteng’s 35% electoral performance last year and the national average of 40% sparked intense criticism. According to those who attended the meeting, Nciza and backers claimed the NEC should face equal scrutiny.
He apparently reported to the NEC allegations that some Gauteng disbandment lobbyists had secretly visited a top seven ANC official at a northern suburb residence. This was to lobby support for their agenda. The NEC dismissed these claims as mere “gossip,” sources said.
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) leaders echoed Nciza’s sentiment, dismissing the disbandment as a misguided attempt to scapegoat their provinces.
Disbandment proponents, however, blamed Gauteng and KZN — as the most populous provinces — for contributing to national voter support decline. “They argued that it was because of the dysfunctional state of affairs in both provinces that the ANC’s national voter tally dropped,” an ANC insider privy to the details of the discussions said.
ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula presented a report on the two provinces’ weaknesses. Among others, the report criticised Gauteng leaders for defying NEC during election season and doing their own thing.
Two former KZN provincial chairpersons, Sihle Zikalala and Senzo Mchunu, pushed for dissolution. According to sources, Zikalala argued that dissolving a structure shouldn’t be made into a bogeyman since KZN had been disbanded before and thereafter won the elections. Former provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli agreed.
But Limpopo ANC chairperson Stan Mathabatha allegedly told them where to get off. He said the elections they claimed were won before the dissolution were with a lesser majority. “Comrade Chupu (Mathabatha) took it further and said to prove a point that disbandment does not work, he said Sihle and Mdu were hounded out of their province thanks to intense factionalism whose roots can be traced to disbanding the KZN PEC,” an NEC member explained.
A surprising display of humility came from Gauteng provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi. He acknowledged the need for intervention and accepted any faults, pledging loyalty to the NEC’s final decision. Another source said Lesufi accepted the criticism but denied that losing elections was because of their inefficiencies or failure to do what was expected of them.
“Panyaza said, ‘We ran a formidable and visible campaign, but the wave coming from KZN was strong, and that wave belongs to national, not Gauteng. We did everything else in our power, but the wave from KZN (MK Party) hit KZN, MP, and Gauteng. We have done everything else and funded elections as a province with no national assistance. Not even a t-shirt from national; instead, we assisted national with billboards’. The man was on fire.”
Eastern Cape provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukaitobi apparently mounted a compelling argument, albeit different from many. He suggested KZN be disbanded and Gauteng saved. His stance was that Gauteng was at least average. KZN, on the other hand, failed to even reach a 30% pass mark for basic education grades, sources said.
Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane was notably absent during the initial discussions on Friday. His supporters said he was uninterested in the disbandment drama, which they dismissed as a “Mbalula project” — linked to his ANC presidential ambitions.
Some NEC members, particularly from the Eastern Cape, rallied behind ANC chairman Gwede Mantashe’s opposition to the disbandment. Names like Enoch Godongwana, Zizi Kodwa, Nonceba Mhlauli and Khusela Diko were mentioned.
The ANC Veterans’ League, led by Snuki Zikalala, raised a legal argument. The league warned that bypassing constitutional processes could lead to legal challenges, branding reinforcement as “constitutionally unsound.” They accused Gauteng of insubordination and KZN of disregarding party structures for losing significant ground.
According to sources, the young lion, Collen Malatji, president of the ANC Youth League, argued that Duma and Bheki Mtolo were too junior to lead KZN — a province accustomed to father figures like the late Zulu king Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu and MK Party leader Jacob Zuma.
“But NDZ (Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma) clobbered him and put him in his place. NDZ said there was no such nonsense in KZN about father figures and added that poverty in politics not backed up by facts must be rejected. She also said dissolution never worked anywhere; wherever it is applied, structure descends into chaos,” claimed a NEC member who was among the leading mascots of the anti-dissolution offensive.
Another source said the meeting almost degenerated when ANC Western Cape Neville Delport wanted the NEC to discuss Mbalula’s use of a private boat to Robben Island. This was during the build-up to the January 8 anniversary festivities. “All comrades called him to order, even his anti-dissolution faction, saying he was degenerating and hitting below the belt. That showed the poverty of politics from the caucus against disbandment.”
In accordance with the NEC resolution, the party’s top seven officials will meet tomorrow to decide on the model for reconfiguring the two PECs. The model will then be communicated to the national working committee before the regions.
