ANC Must Accept Voters' Choices and Address Internal Divisions - Mkhize

ANC national executive committee member and chairperson of Parliament's portfolio committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr. Zweli Mkhize, has called on the ANC to undertake serious introspection and apologize to voters for its declining electoral fortunes. Mkhize stated that the party must accept voters' choices and respect those who have elected other parties, emphasizing the importance of understanding that each party is an outcome of people's efforts to find the best vehicle to express their feelings and pursue their needs.

Mkhize's comments come in the wake of the November 4 local government elections, which saw the ANC secure an outright majority in only nine out of KwaZulu-Natal's 44 municipalities, leaving 35 hung councils. The party finished second provincially with 20.27% of the vote, or 1,289,398 votes, behind the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), which secured 34.32%. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) followed closely behind the ANC with 20.13%, winning outright control of five municipalities.

Mkhize identified three broad areas that contributed to the ANC's declining fortunes: economic conditions and their socio-economic consequences, service delivery, and political leadership. He noted a strong correlation between per capita income, public sentiment, and the ANC's electoral appeal, citing the high level of unemployment, poverty, and economic pressure as major challenges. Mkhize warned that entrenched criminality was placing rural communities under increasing pressure and could eventually undermine government's ability to maintain control in some rural towns.

On service delivery, Mkhize emphasized that reliable water and electricity supplies, as well as general access to basic services, remained major challenges. In areas where services were available, government was also having to contend with illegal connections. He also criticized the practice of gatekeeping party membership, saying it enabled the appointment of incompetent people and entrenched factionalism.

Mkhize called for the ANC to confront problems relating to party unity, irregularities in membership, and internal conferences. He stated that the ANC owed the public an apology for failing to live up to the support people had given it over the years. Mkhize expressed support for former president Thabo Mbeki's call for ANC leaders to be held accountable for the party's poor electoral performance.

Despite its poor electoral performance, Mkhize expressed optimism that the ANC could still recover, citing its history of surviving breakaways driven by ideological differences and political intolerance. He pointed to the formation of the PAC in the 1950s, the UDM in the 1990s, Cope, the EFF, and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party as examples of splits the party had weathered.

Mkhize concluded that the ANC's renewal programme should not be viewed as an exercise that inevitably resulted in the party losing support. He emphasized that the reward of renewal is public support, and that the party must engage in thorough soul-searching and introspection to correct the reasons behind its electoral decline.

Key points

• The ANC must accept voters' choices and respect those who have elected other parties.
• The party's declining fortunes are attributed to economic conditions, service delivery, and political leadership.
• Mkhize calls for the ANC to apologize to voters and engage in thorough soul-searching and introspection.