The ANC vs itself: Can it overcome internal collapse before 2029?
The ANC faces a daunting challenge ahead as it struggles with electoral decline and internal discord. With voters growing increasingly disillusioned and the party losing its historical relevance, a courageous and decisive response is urgent.
The African National Congress (ANC) finds itself in a precarious position, grappling with both external political rivals and its own internal collapse. While some may focus on the party's declining electoral performance, the deeper issue lies in whether the individuals entrusted with the ANC's renewal have the courage to dismantle a system that continues to benefit some at the expense of many.
The November 2026 municipal elections saw the ANC's national support drop to 30.89%, a sharp decline from 45.6% in 2021 and a historic low of 40.2% in 2024 when it lost its parliamentary majority. These results signal a widespread erosion of political confidence. Despite acknowledging the severity of the situation, the ANC has yet to address the root causes of its decline.
Factional disputes, corruption scandals, leadership instability, weak accountability, and deteriorating municipal services have steadily undermined public trust. The ANC's decline is not solely due to external factors; much of the damage has come from within. The party must recognize that voters are questioning its contemporary relevance, rather than rejecting its historical contributions.
Many within the ANC continue to benefit from the existing political arrangements, making genuine reform a challenge. As the party prepares for its next leadership succession conference in December 2027, the question remains: will the new leadership be willing to challenge the interests that helped elevate them? The succession debate must move beyond personalities and focus on the necessary reforms and measurable obligations for the transition.
If the ANC simply replaces one president with another while preserving dysfunctional structures, it will not achieve renewal but will merely perpetuate the same problems under new leadership. True recovery requires confronting the misconception that retaining political office equates to regaining public confidence. While coalition politics has become a feature of South African democracy, the ANC must not view coalition participation as a substitute for institutional reform.
The party's ability to retain influence through political negotiations does not equate to restoring credibility or repairing the deep-seated issues that have led to its current state.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
