The Eastern Cape ANC is heading to a high-stakes provincial conference next week, with former allies set to battle for control of the party’s leadership in a contest that could reshape its political direction before the local government elections.
The party’s 10th provincial conference will be held at the International Convention Centre in KuGompo City from March 27 to 30, under the theme “2026: the year of decisive action to fix local government and transform the economy”.
The party’s Eastern Cape leader, premier Oscar Mabuyane, and provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi are set to go head-to-head for the position of chair.
Mabuyane, who retained the position at the party’s 2022 conference after a tightly contested race, is seeking a third term, while Ngcukayitobi is positioning himself as an alternative candidate amid growing internal contestation.
The conference will elect the ANC’s top five provincial officials — chair, deputy chair, secretary, deputy secretary and treasurer — with both camps mobilising support through their respective slates.
Ngcukayitobi is aligned with the “Thina Bantu” grouping, while Mabuyane is backed by the “Thina Masebe” faction, setting the stage for what is expected to be a tightly contested and politically charged conference.
After a special provincial executive committee (PEC) meeting on Monday to assess readiness, the ANC said preparations for the conference were on track and there were no indications that it would need to be postponed.
There will be no further extensions except for branches ordered to rerun by the appeals and dispute resolution process
— Yanga Zicina, Eastern Cape ANC spokesperson
Eastern Cape ANC spokesperson Yanga Zicina said the party was satisfied with the preparations.
“The PEC received a report stating that at least 554 branches had convened successfully by the end of the cut-off date of March 15, which was set as a deadline for convening branch general meetings to nominate branch delegates to the provincial conference.
“[A total of] 281 branches were verified to have successfully convened by the office of the secretary-general as of March 6, and the remaining 273 branches are awaiting verification from the head office,” Zicina said.
He said the initial cut-off date for branch general meetings, which ran from February 8 to March 13, had been extended to March 15 to allow more branches to conclude their processes.
“There will be no further extensions except for branches ordered to rerun by the appeals and dispute resolution process.”
Zicina said most disputes arising from the branch nomination process had already been dealt with, with only a small number outstanding.
“Of the total of 74 disputes received by the provincial dispute resolution committee, 64 were resolved and concluded ... while 10 remain to be concluded.
“Only a handful of less than 10 branches were escalated to the national dispute resolution platforms, and the PEC is confident that the national dispute resolution processes will be concluded timeously,” he said.
However, the ANC acknowledged that there had been some disruption in the run-up to the conference.
Zicina said some branch executive committee members had deliberately refused to convene branch meetings, while in other instances members of regional executive committees allegedly disrupted branch processes.
He also expressed concern about party members turning to the courts in an attempt to influence internal outcomes.
“The PEC received an update indicating the abuse of court processes by some of its members, done in order to circumvent and alter the electoral outcomes of a democratic process within the ANC.
“While the ANC has confidence in our courts, it condemns the abuse of courts and calls on its members to observe internal rules and exhaust their rights within the party.
“The ANC has strengthened its policies to ensure that manipulation and circumvention of processes are done away with, and to protect the integrity of its democratic processes.
“The PEC will continue to work with the national leadership to address this issue and ensure that the party’s internal processes are respected,” he said.
The outcome of the conference is expected to have significant implications for the ANC in the Eastern Cape, particularly as the party seeks to stabilise governance in municipalities and regain public confidence ahead of the local elections.
Though the leadership contest is likely to dominate proceedings, the conference will also serve as a platform for assessing the party’s performance in government and setting its policy direction for the coming term.
With internal divisions laid bare in the lead-up to the conference, attention will be on whether the outcome consolidates unity within the party or deepens divisions.
All eyes will be on KuGompo City, where delegates from across the province are expected to decide not only the ANC’s leadership, but also its trajectory in one of its key strongholds.
Daily Dispatch
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