Former President Kgalema Motlanthe has issued a stark warning, stating that the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is “effectively dying”.
Image: Bongiwe Mchunu/Independent Newspapers
Former President Kgalema Motlanthe, who chairs the ANC electoral committee, has warned of a “serious manifestation of political and administrative dysfunctionality” that is crippling the party, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, noting the crisis is affecting the ANC’s ability to operate and contest elections.
He highlighted these systemic issues in a report documenting crises across structures in four provinces ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
The ANC faces significant internal and external challenges across several provinces ahead of the local government elections. The issues include provincial leadership instability, fractured alliances and deteriorating service delivery in critical municipalities.
He characterised the situation as part of a broader organisational crisis, highlighting deep political and administrative dysfunctionality.
Motlanthe said without adapting to change and “whipping the party into shape”, the program of organisational renewal remains undermined by chronic corruption and institutionalised dysfunction.
Motlanthe warned that the ANC in KZN is “effectively dying”, due to a catastrophic collapse of its organisational structures.
He stated the province failed to establish even a single regional interview panel or appoint branch electoral officers for the upcoming candidate selections. He added that the provincial leadership had failed to meet the moral and political standards expected of them.
Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Free State provinces have also been identified as facing severe political and administrative dysfunctionality, contributing to the broader collapse of local government.
The ANC national leadership recently postponed the KZN provincial conference until after the 2026 elections, officially because over 800 branches and 11 regions failed to meet the threshold for leadership elections by April 2026.
Although the decision was made solely to focus on election preparation, this delay has raised concerns about the party's cohesion and prospects in a province where it already faces a strong challenge from the MKP and the IFP.
ANC KZN spokesperson Fanle Sibisi said that although the party notes the comments attributed to Motlanthe, matters relating to elections are a national competency and should be addressed at that level.
However, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula and national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri did not respond to calls and messages.
Motlanthe stated that the acute lack of progress in the establishment of the regional interview and vetting panels and the appointment of the branch electoral officers constitutes a serious manifestation of political and administrative dysfunctionality across all structures of the ANC in these four provinces.
Manipulation of membership statistics and infighting linked to elective conferences continue to destabilise provincial structures.
The committee found that despite numerous reminders and persuasion, KZN has failed to meet even the most basic requirements for electoral participation.
The party has also faced significant criticism from Mbalula for failing to meet key deadlines, including the establishment of regional interview panels and the appointment of branch electoral officers, despite previous directives to do so.
Despite directives for the task team to reconfigure and speed up processes, the team struggled with internal squabbles, leading to the extension of their mandate and threats of restructuring.
Mbalula also described the performance of the KZN provincial task team, led by veteran and former cabinet minister Jeff Radebe, as a “big disappointment”, noting that the structure intended to rebuild the party was focused on factional battles rather than organisational renewal.
Meanwhile, according to the Sunday reports, the ANC is expected to remove Radebe as the convenor of the ANC in KZN and replace him with former provincial treasurer Mike Mabuyakhulu.
The changes are likely to form part of the discussion during the party's national working committee (NWC) on Monday.
The decision also comes as the ANC plans to reconstitute the provincial task team for KZN and Gauteng in preparation for the upcoming local elections.