ANC faces internal turmoil as calls for leadership overhaul intensify
Johannesburg – Fault lines inside the African National Congress (ANC) are widening, with senior figures warning that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) is failing to steer the organisation through one of its most challenging political periods.
The Informer has learnt that during last week’s tense NEC meeting outspoken NEC member Andile Lungisa challenged the party’s top brass over what he described as a lack of direction and urgency.
Lungisa reportedly told fellow leaders that the NEC had “failed” in its mandate between conferences, accusing it of neglecting to convene regularly, even as the ANC faced a budget crisis and dwindling public support. He further criticised the committee’s inability to formulate clear policy positions to tackle the country’s economic stagnation, high unemployment, and the state of struggling State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs).
In a move likely to deepen internal rifts, Lungisa is understood to have proposed that the current NEC be disbanded altogether. He suggested former president Thabo Mbeki be appointed as convener and ex-deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe serve as coordinator – a leadership arrangement some in the party see as a return to a more disciplined era.
The remarks reignited debates that surfaced after the ANC’s bruising performance in the 2024 general elections, when its support dipped to 40%. Party insiders said that beyond the leadership question, there are growing concerns that the ANC is unprepared for both its upcoming National General Council and this week’s National Dialogue.
Some NEC members privately share Lungisa’s frustrations, pointing to a lack of unity and urgency in addressing the ANC’s political and organisational challenges.
Meanwhile Clemant Manyathela has twitted that has confirmed saying the NEC must be disbanded. “Andile Lungisa confirmed on my show that the whole ANC NEC is useless and they know that. He further says that since the 2022 National Conference which didn’t finish it’s business and had to continue for more days,the ANC NEC meetings are a waste of time because it’s a contestation of factions and their egos”, he twitted.
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