President Cyril Ramaphosa says the African National Congress’s steep decline in support during last year’s general elections is a clear signal that the party must urgently renew itself and rebuild public trust.
Addressing delegates at the ANC’s National General Council (NGC) in Gauteng on Monday, Ramaphosa reflected on the party’s drop to just over 40% of the national vote its worst showing since 1994 and the loss of its majority in key provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
He attributed the decline to several factors, including the rise of the MK Party, unemployment, weak economic growth, service delivery failures and public anger over corruption. Ramaphosa also acknowledged internal shortcomings.
“We saw weaknesses in our own structures, reflected in a weak election campaign that could have been far stronger,” he said.
The NGC is being used to map out the ANC’s recovery efforts ahead of next year’s local government elections.
ANC staff protest over unpaid salaries
Meanwhile, a group of ANC employees affiliated with Nehawu staged a picket outside the NGC venue on Monday, protesting ongoing delays in salary payments.
Union representative Dan Semenya pushed back against comments by Secretary General Fikile Mbalula, who claimed on Sunday that the payment dispute had been resolved.
“We can’t take responsibility for the comments made by the SG,” Semenya said. “This issue of late salaries is recurring every month. Many workers have still not been paid even for this month.”
He said staff would continue pressing the party for consistent and timely payment, warning that frustrations among workers have reached a breaking point.