The controversial appointment of politically connected figures to a strategic Provincial Task Team (PTT) in the Eastern Cape Province has caused the ANC’s deepening factional battles to erupt once more.
According to insiders, this move indicates the growing dominance of the faction aligned with ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula ahead of the November local government elections and the impending ANC presidency showdown.
What started out as a routine administrative appointment after the contested conference that never took place due to legal challenges, has quickly turned into a heated political dispute within the party, revealing growing divisions within the ANC’s national leadership and escalating charges of internal purges, patronage politics, and factional capture.
According to some senior ANC insiders, the decision was made in spite of opposition from a number of party members. Critics contend that factional consolidation has once again been prioritised over capable leadership and organisational regeneration.
Many party members now see the appointment as a planned political payout intended to increase Mbalula’s power ahead of the ANC’s upcoming election conference.
And according to sources Lulama Ngcukayitobi, who was provincial ANC secretary in the structure that has been dissolved, has been effectively sidelined and politically isolated as a result of differences over the nomination process, making him the biggest casualty of the most recent internal conflict. They say he made an internal attempt to contest the decision but higher-ranking political forces determined to maintain control of the strategic position ultimately overruled him.
Some members of the ANC have bemoaned what seems to be a clear: “You are excluded from decision-making procedures if you do not support the ruling faction”.
Governance and service delivery are no longer relevant. It has to do with power location. The incident comes at a horrible moment for the ANC, which is already dealing with dwindling public confidence, election defeats, coalition instability, and rising voter dissatisfaction over poor local governance, infrastructure collapse, unemployment, and corruption.
As the ANC prepares for the November local government elections under increasing pressure from opposition parties and disgruntled supporters, many political commentators caution that the most recent factional drama might turn into electoral suicide for the party.
The ANC is once again preoccupied with internal strife, leadership disputes, and factional score settling rather than putting on a cohesive front aimed at rebuilding unity, cohesion and regaining public trust.
One independent political observer noted that “voters are tired of this exact kind of politics.”
Water shedding, failing municipalities, water shortages due to aging infrastructure, collapsing roads, crime, and unemployment are all issues that South Africans must cope with. However, ANC leaders seem to be more concerned with succession disputes and factional nominations than with governance.
Mbalula is increasingly seen as a major candidate or kingmaker in the ANC presidential contest, and the aftermath from the appointment of the PTT has also heightened discussion about the ANC’s next leadership contest.
Internal conflicts about succession planning, policy direction, and the distribution of power within the ANC’s senior structures have been increasing while President Cyril Ramaphosa continues to hold public control of the party and fights for his political survival in the wake of the Phala Phala scandal.
Analysts caution that if infighting persists, voter confidence may be further damaged and more traditional ANC supporters may turn to alternative parties or abstain from politics
Prior to the upcoming national conference, it is already thought that a number of rival groups are discreetly rallying support, with strategic appointments turning into vital instruments for bolstering regional and provincial power.
As a result, the PTT appointment is seen as much more than a standard staffing choice for Mbalula’s strategic benefits. It is viewed in ANC quarters as a front in a larger struggle over who will take over as leader of the party after Ramaphosa’s tenure is over.
Opponents within the ANC worry that the party is making the same mistakes that have hurt its credibility with people and diminished its political strength in the past.
One ANC veteran stated once stated: “There is a dangerous obsession with factional loyalty.” People are rewarded because they fit into particular factions rather than because they are competent.
Some regional leaders, who feel that local mechanisms were circumvented during the process, have been especially enraged. Tensions have been heightened by claims of political meddling and top-down manipulation, and some members have warned that internal conflicts could escalate into open revolt during the candidate selection procedures before to the local government elections.
Following historic defeats in recent elections, where the party’s support fell precipitously in a number of provinces and large metropolitan areas, the ANC’s electoral apparatus is already under stress.
Analysts caution that if infighting persists, voter confidence may be further damaged and more traditional ANC supporters may turn to alternative parties or abstain from politics.
The image of a party mired in this PTT is a never ending internal strife that might be strengthened by the optics of another politically fraught nomination, especially considering the deteriorating economic conditions and rising outrage over corruption.
The most recent incident is likely to increase scepticisms among many common South Africans regarding the ANC’s ability to properly govern or reform itself. The stakes for the ANC are extremely high as the November local government elections draw near.
There is a real chance that the party will lose more municipalities especially in the metros, see significant drops in voting turnout among its core supporters, and usher in more unstable coalition politics nationwide.
In the meantime, it is anticipated that the internal ANC presidential contest will only get more intense in the upcoming months, with factions vying for organisational control, strategic positions, and provincial support.
Therefore, rather than being just another appointment dispute, the PTT saga may be recognised as an insightful look into the succession politics currently engulfing Africa’s oldest liberation movement.
ANC leaders are battling behind closed doors not just for posts but also for the party’s survival and future course. It is unclear if the ANC will be able to manage the escalating consequences of its internal conflicts before voters cast their ballots.
Dr Xolisile Ngumbela, assistant dean, teaching and learning, faculty of management sciences, Central University of Technology
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