EDITORIAL: The ANC’s succession blues

It is getting harder to believe that the “reconfigurations” — the reshuffle of the ANC’s provincial structures — are aimed at strengthening the party, rather than rearranging the deck chairs ahead of the party’s elective conference in 2027.

Over the past fortnight, the party effectively has disbanded its leadership structures in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Elected officials were replaced by unelected ones such as Amos Masondo and Jeff Radebe. The Northern Cape ANC, which is governing with the help of smaller parties, was spared the axe.

Of the two dissolutions, KwaZulu-Natal’s stands out for two reasons. This is where Jacob Zuma’s MK party fared better than elsewhere; and the province is electorally significant in who becomes ANC president and, ultimately, which party gets the most votes in a general election.

It is important to note that the now disbanded KwaZulu-Natal leadership didn’t support Cyril Ramaphosa’s bid as ANC president in 2022.

The newly reconfigured ANC leadership core includes prominent KwaZulu-Natal allies of Ramaphosa, such as Mike Mabuyakhulu and former premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube. Their return to active party politics strengthens the Ramaphosa camp at the next conference.

The KwaZulu-Natal’s ousted leadership, notably its secretary, Bheki Mtolo, has been vocal about the perversion of party democracy. In essence the party is now run by appointed individuals, not branch choices.

In the short term, this will advantage the dominant faction leading the ANC, such as its ambitious secretary-general. In the medium term, however, this will weaken the party as factions battle it out.