ROAD TO 2024 ELECTIONS
ANC struggles to rouse troops following poor branch turnout for MP and MPL nomination process
The ANC’s branch participation in the nomination process for Parliament and Provincial Legislatures has been dismal, with the party’s National Working Committee calling for provinces to develop strategies to strengthen their branches and increase turnout.
In a special sitting held virtually on Wednesday evening, the ANC’s top brass discussed the progress made in nominating candidates who will represent the party in Parliament and Provincial Legislatures.
The presentation by the Electoral Commission’s Chief Livhuwani Matsila painted a picture of deep reluctance by branch members to participate in the process.
The main sentiment was that the dwindling interest at branch level is symbolic of the state of the party — and might have a bearing on their performance at the 2024 polls.
Read more in Daily Maverick: ANC hopes to capitalise on Zuma’s KZN popularity to turn back the political tide and win over voters
This is especially concerning because ANC branches are the party’s base and vital for foot soldiers who will usually campaign in communities in all corners of the country and even areas where the top brass will not reach.
The party has so far not been able to attract as many branches to participate in the selection process compared to the 55th national conference of the party last December.
Daily Maverick understands that NEC members flagged the low attendance by branches as it was reported that participation stands at less than 60%. On the initial deadline of 18 September only 46% of branches had been successfully concluded which led the party to extending the deadline to the 2nd October. However the deadline was moved even further to allow branches to conclude the selection process.
This is considerably lower than the party’s verification report presented at the national conference in December 2022, when the ANC KwaZulu-Natal had 94% branches which qualified, 76% by the ANC Free State while the Western Cape stood at 88%. The total percentage for all branches was 89%.
In a report seen by Daily Maverick, the ANC’s National Working Committee (NWC) laments the poor performance of branches in three provinces including KwaZulu-Natal which has the largest membership within the party.
This is also the case for the Free State and Western Cape which has over the years become the DA’s stronghold.
In the minutes of the party’s NWC meeting, they not only raise concerns but want these provinces to account for the low turnout by branches.
A suggestion was put forward for the Provincial Executive Committees (PECs) in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Western Cape to each develop and present a turnaround strategy with detailed plans and timeframes to improve the functionality of branches.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Exclude ANC members named in State Capture report from parliamentary list — Veterans League
NEC deployees are then recommended to oversee the process of strengthening the branches that failed to hold branch general meetings and nominate candidates in this process.
Branch participation of the North West, Gauteng and Eastern Cape was not as disappointing but the NWC still believes that these provinces also have to undergo some kind of revival.
Elsewhere, candidate nominations in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape were deemed to have been largely successful and exemplary.
The party has to nominate up to 200 candidates for Parliament. Nine provincial legislature ANC lists a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 80 candidates. The ANC Constitution guarantees its President, Cyril Ramaphosa the candidacy for President of the country. DM
Become an Insider
This looks very bad for the ANC.
There is hopefully also going to come a lot of infighting in the ANC as there will simply be less jobs in every legislature. That nice MP and Member of provincial legislature salary is going to run out for a number of ANC cadres. Expect some escalation in political killings in the ANC itself. Cele will claim innocence and Ramaposer will appoint a commission of enquiry that will state that it is the ANC’s own bad policies and management that led to their members not being alive. Ramaposer will then be surprised to learn that all of the ANC members do not have the same integrity as Desmond Tutu.
Everybody is so sick and tired of the ANC/EFF wrecking ball (thanks Shapiro) and just surviving in this failed state , it is no wonder
With a severely diminished trough the cadres don’t seem so interested anymore?
Hopefully the end (of the ANC) is nigh before the end of our country becomes final! Love to see the detailed plan? They can’t plan anything, far less implement it! I love it!!
This looks very good for South Africa.
The real uhuru started in the Western Cape, if the DA takes over government of RSA, it will good for not only South Africa, but firstly for the SACU countries and then the SADC countries and then the whole continent. Maybe one day they will replace Mugabe’s statue with that of Zille.
God forbid
The report is very interesting despite the fact that it fails to take into account the other Provinces like Limpopo and Mpumalanga where gerrymandering of the lists have been reported by the very Daily Maverick. The Secretary of Limpopo in a report by the Daily Maverick was fingered for political thuggery. What the report is telling us is that the ANC despite the structural weaknesses and the resource challenges it is pursuing the old model of campaigning. For proper analysis of the polls by the polling organisations these are the assumptions we need to understand whether they have been factored in their modelling as voter turn out is not the only factor that determines the outcomes of elections. The infrastructure and the resources of the party determine the electoral fortunes of the party in addition to the issues of the attachment of voters to the party as well as the electoral issues that would be on the ballot for the first time. These issue will be very critical in the elections and in particular for the ANC with a lot of opposition that is resourced to fight the elections and that includes Ace Magashule who has branded vehicles. The margin of error for polling organisation will be very huge if they are not taking these into account for the ANC and new political parties. The fractious political landscape of South Africa is going to impact the ANC and the DA very negatively despite the confidence of the two parties.