ANC's Ramaphosa faces criticism after poor election results

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing mounting criticism within his party, the African National Congress (ANC), following the party's poor performance in the recent local government elections. The ANC's support has been on a downward trajectory since 2009, but the sharp decline in the latest elections has stunned many within the party. The ANC's electoral support dropped to just over 30% of the votes, its lowest level since the party started participating in elections.

The ANC's decline in fortunes has led to renewed calls for Ramaphosa to step down as party leader. Some party members are criticizing Ramaphosa and the ANC's national executive committee (NEC) for failing to accept responsibility for the party's decline. They argue that the NEC has shown no appetite for a serious turnaround and that the party's leadership has been ineffective in reversing the slide.

Ramaphosa was elected as ANC leader in 2017 on a promise to reverse the party's decline. Initially, his campaign seemed to have been proven right, with the ANC winning 58% of the vote in the 2019 general election. However, the party's support began to decline again, and by 2021, it had dropped to 46%. The ANC's poor performance in the latest elections has raised questions about Ramaphosa's leadership and the party's ability to regain the trust of its supporters.

Some ANC members are calling for the NEC to be disbanded and replaced with an interim leadership structure that would manage the party and take it to the national conference. They argue that the current NEC is not capable of devising a strategy to avoid the DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis becoming a serious contender for the next president. However, ANC elections head Mdumiseni Ntuli has conceded that there is a need for introspection on the part of ANC leaders.

Ntuli acknowledged that the NEC needs to have a genuine and objective conversation about its role in the party's decline. He emphasized that any assessment of the party's performance has to begin at the national level and that the NEC needs to take responsibility for its actions. The ANC's poor performance has sparked a renewed debate about the party's leadership and its ability to regain the trust of its supporters.

Political commentator Richard Calland has weighed in on the debate, arguing that disbanding the NEC now would be a terrible idea, not just for the party but for South Africa as a whole. Calland's comments highlight the challenges facing the ANC and the need for the party to find a way to regain the trust of its supporters. The ANC's poor performance has significant implications for the party's future and the country's politics.

The ANC's decline in fortunes has also led to renewed tensions within the party, with some members calling for a more radical approach to addressing the party's challenges. The party's leadership is under pressure to find a way to reverse the decline and regain the trust of its supporters. The ANC's poor performance has raised questions about the party's ability to remain a dominant force in South African politics.

Key points

• The ANC's electoral support has dropped to just over 30% of the votes, its lowest level since the party started participating in elections.