KwaZulu-Natal ANC promises renewal after election setbacks
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on IOL
The African National Congress (ANC) branch in KwaZulu-Natal has announced it will analyse its setbacks in the 2026 local elections, particularly in municipalities hit by internal divisions and public service problems. Provincial spokesperson Sifiso Sonjica nevertheless says the party made progress compared with the 2024 vote, according to IOL.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal will review its election setbacks, internal quarrels in its municipalities and complaints about public services in order to rebuild voters' trust after the 2026 local elections, the party announced. Its provincial spokesperson, Sifiso Sonjica, acknowledged that the party had lost support in some areas, while saying it was making progress compared with the 2024 elections, with gaps between parties remaining small in several constituencies, according to IOL.
Sonjica cited the municipality of Mpandle, where divisions between ANC members disrupted services: employees there went unpaid for several months between 2025 and 2026, losing vehicles and housing, and protests blocked roads. The party's renewal programme aims to put in positions of responsibility people "totally committed to working for communities, and not for themselves", he said.
The ANC will also investigate the municipalities where it had hoped for better results, judging it premature to draw conclusions before studying the results. Sonjica maintained that the party's policies were not the problem, while admitting that sometimes poorly chosen officials had hindered their implementation.
The announcement comes the day after the publication of results placing Jacob Zuma's MK party first in four municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, and after Cyril Ramaphosa's promise of works to tackle water shortages in eThekwini. In late October, experts had accused the ANC of using welfare payments to win votes.
