The African National Congress (ANC) holds an internal meeting this Thursday as the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) gathers in Boksburg to manage the fallout from a bruising 2026 local government election.
With national support cratering to 30.76%, down from 45.59% in 2021, the leadership is under intense pressure to reconcile its coalition strategy with a restive membership that is increasingly hostile toward its national partner, the Democratic Alliance (DA).
Internal Friction Over Johannesburg Coalitions
The tension is particularly acute in Gauteng, where ANC members are openly questioning the wisdom of entering municipal arrangements with the DA. Insiders told IOL that the frustration stems from the belief that the DA’s confrontational approach at the national level—specifically its decision to challenge the ANC in the Constitutional Court over candidate list deadlines—has poisoned the well for local cooperation.
“It’s a serious pain to work with the DA, trust me,” one insider remarked to IOL, capturing the sentiment of a party base that fears the Government of National Unity (GNU) is becoming a political liability.
While the Constitutional Court ultimately ruled in favor of the ANC, the legal battle cemented the view among many members that the two parties are antagonists rather than partners. As BusinessTech reports, some NEC members are now actively considering whether to end the national coalition, arguing that the tie-up has directly contributed to the party’s electoral hemorrhaging.
ANC TO CONVENE AN EXTENDED SPECIAL NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING pic.twitter.com/ZdEFDaX6CZ
Ramaphosa Offers to Vacate Office Amid Accountability Crisis
Compounding the strategic impasse is the uncertainty surrounding President Cyril Ramaphosa’s future. Sources speaking to IOL confirmed that Ramaphosa offered to vacate his office during discussions with the party’s Top Seven leaders, urging a collective acceptance of responsibility for the dismal election results. While ANC leadership has publicly dismissed rumors of an imminent resignation, the mere suggestion has forced an uncomfortable conversation about accountability.
This sentiment is echoed by the ANC Youth League (ANCYL), which has pushed back against a simple leadership purge. ANCYL President Collen Malatji argued that the party’s decline is a long-term symptom of a damaged brand, rather than a failure of the current administration alone.
“The ANC brand has been damaged over the years, and all of us in the ANC must take accountability,” Malatji said, as noted by SABC News. He insisted that the “old guard” must bear significant responsibility for the erosion of the party’s support base.
The Strategic Pivot to ActionSA
As the ANC weighs its path forward, the role of smaller parties has become a critical variable in Gauteng’s hung municipalities. ActionSA has emerged as a potential kingmaker, with its support likely to determine the governance of Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni.
The Daily Maverick reports that the ANC has centralized its coalition negotiations, tasking a team including Enoch Godongwana and Gwede Mantashe with finding a way out of the current deadlock.
The party’s strategy remains fluid, with Mbalula set to announce the ANC’s formal position on coalitions on November 13. Whether the ANC opts to double down on its national partnership or seeks to reconfigure its alliances to appease its regional structures will be the defining outcome of the Boksburg meeting.
As the NEC deliberates, the party is acutely aware that, as one source told IOL, “We cannot keep losing electoral support and pretend everything is fine.”
More on National Executive Committee
[WATCH LIVE] ANC Youth League Media Briefing – LGE26 Update https://t.co/jrk43Z2FSc
