Mbeki Urges ANC to Focus on Survival After Election Loss

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has called on the African National Congress (ANC) to prioritise its institutional survival over retaining positions in municipal governments. This comes after the party's worst electoral performance in a local government election, where it received 30.76% of the vote, down from 45.59% in 2021. Mbeki, an ex officio member of the ANC's national executive committee (NEC), made the remarks in an interview on the African Renaissance Podcast.

The ANC's decline in support is a major concern, with Mbeki estimating that only about 10% of eligible adult voters supported the party in the latest election. In contrast, the party received around 70% of votes cast in 2004. Mbeki described the scale of the party's decline as a "disaster" that must be addressed honestly. He pointed to poor service delivery as one factor, but argued that it was not the only explanation for the electoral outcome.

Mbeki suggested that the ANC should consider taking opposition benches in municipalities where it did not have sufficient support to lead, rather than pursuing governing arrangements at any cost. However, he also emphasised the importance of respecting voters' choices in municipalities where the ANC had received the largest share of the vote. The party is set to hold crucial meetings of its NEC to discuss its strategy for coalition negotiations.

The ANC's internal polling had previously warned about the reasons for its declining support, with projections of around 28% support and negative perceptions of the party and some of its leaders. Mbeki cited findings of the party's internal research, which suggested that some leaders were a problem for the party. He argued that the party should examine the reasons behind its declining support and take action to address them.

Mbeki also called on the ANC to revisit its longstanding commitment to organisational renewal, which was endorsed at national conferences but not implemented by the party's leadership. The 2017 national conference identified renewal as essential to the organisation's survival, and the commitment was reiterated at the 2022 conference. However, Mbeki said little progress had been made.

The ANC Veterans League had developed proposals for organisational renewal, which were submitted to the party's officials before the 2022 conference. However, Mbeki said that no action had been taken on the proposals, which outlined practical steps to implement renewal. He accused successive NECs of failing to implement resolutions taken by the party's highest decision-making body.

The ANC's decline has significant implications for its role in municipal government, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) leading in several major metropolitan areas and the MK Party emerging as a significant force in KwaZulu-Natal. Mbeki's intervention comes as the party faces difficult choices over its future role in municipal government. The party's leadership will need to consider Mbeki's comments as it develops its strategy for coalition negotiations.

Key points

• ANC must prioritise institutional survival over retaining municipal government positions
• Party's decline in support is a major concern, with only around 10% of eligible adult voters supporting the ANC in the latest election
• ANC should consider taking opposition benches in municipalities where it does not have sufficient support to lead