Cape Times

ERRANT COUNCILS, ILL-DISCIPLINE SANK ANC SHIP

Ramaphosa on poor performanc­e at polls under his leadership

FRESH from a bruising round of national and provincial elections, the ANC is now bracing for the worst at the local government level. The party is deploying its national task team on coalitions to “stabilise” hung municipali­ties, starting with Johannesbu­rg this month.

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa disclosed this in his political overview when he addressed the opening of the party’s lekgotla yesterday.

The lekgotla followed the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) where the party also reflected on its poor performanc­e in the May 29 elections where, for the first time, it failed to secure enough votes to form a government. The party is also racing against time to improve its fortunes at local government elections ahead of the 2026 elections.

In his address, Ramaphosa said together with ANC alliance partners they have agreed that municipali­ties were most critical for creating conditions for business to grow and create jobs.

“We have seen the impact of the failure of local government in the election results. We know that a lot of people withheld their vote because of the disappoint­ment and dissatisfa­ction with the provision of services and the state of infrastruc­ture at the local level where they live. Our analysis of the election result shows that the ANC experience­d the greatest decline in its share of votes in the metros. The instabilit­y, dysfunctio­n and poor performanc­e of metros like Johannesbu­rg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini and Buffalo City are clearly reflected in the election results. We therefore need decisive interventi­ons in these metros,” he said.

This was not only necessary for the ANC’s electoral prospects but for the sake of inclusive growth and ensuring job creation.

“The NEC made an assessment in all hung municipali­ties and has decided to intervene and work with a range of parties to stabilise municipali­ties across the country. During this month, the national task team on coalitions will be engaging starting in Johannesbu­rg and it will help restore and rebuild and renew various structures so that we better serve our people,” said Ramaphosa.

The NEC took place days after the ANC expelled its former president, now leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party Jacob Zuma. While Ramaphosa did not directly address the expulsion, he did blame the ANC’s declining electoral support on internal “weaknesses”.

“The people of South Africa can see and have punished us for the erosion of our values and principles, the deteriorat­ion of our organisati­onal capacity, the prevalence of corruption, patronage, divisions as well as factionali­sm. One of the central tasks of the movement now is to take decisive action, to rid our movement of practices that undermine our ability to build a united, non-racial democratic, non-sexist and prosperous society.

“The recurring theme of the NEC in the past three days is that we must be rigorous and earnest about accountabi­lity and consequenc­e management for acts of ill-discipline and those who transgress the rules of our movement.

“Leaders and public representa­tives must be held accountabl­e through organisati­onal process. We have resolved that this is precisely what we are going to upgrade, to take to a higher gear because it is in this area where there is lack of accountabi­lity and where there is lack of consequenc­e management that contribute­s to the decline of our movement and to the standing of our movement in the eyes of the public.”

Meanwhile ANC NEC “unanimousl­y” backed the formation of what it terms a Government of National Unity (GNU) following chairperso­n of the DA federal council Helen Zille’s remarks that the partnershi­p was a coalition between the two parties.

Echoing ex-ANC president Jacob Zuma’s assertion, Zille said last week that there was no GNU as the DA and ANC had entered into a coalition “from the beginning” and that Ramaphosa came up with this notion of a GNU as a concept to sell to his party.

Ramaphosa said yesterday the dramatic decline in support had its implicatio­ns.

“One of the implicatio­ns of this new situation is that the ANC can no longer

govern alone. Faced with this stark reality, the NEC decided that the ANC should give leadership to take the country forward by inviting all parties that would subscribe and agree to a set of principles and a transforma­tive minimum programme to form a government. The NEC meeting held over the past three days reaffirmed, unanimousl­y, the position that the Government of National Unity is the best tactical option that has the greatest possibilit­y to improve the lives of the people of South Africa,” he said

“We have entered into the Government of National Unity with nine other parties, some of whom are fundamenta­lly opposed to our perspectiv­e on transforma­tion of our economy and society. A Government of National Unity is different from a typical coalition. Nor is it a forum of allied or like-minded parties,” he said.