Gauteng Premier and ANC provincial chair Panyaza Lesufi at the PEC Lekgotla in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni
The ANC’s Gauteng provincial executive committee (PEC) has dismissed speculation of tensions with the party’s national leaders following the loss of its majority in this year’s May general elections, which saw the party unable to form a government of provincial unity (GPU) with the DA.
Gauteng Premier and ANC provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi also confirmed on Monday that the party is now focused on removing the DA-led coalition government in the City of Tshwane after regaining control of Johannesburg last week, with Dada Morero elected as mayor.
Addressing the media after the ANC Gauteng PEC Lekgotla, which took place over the weekend in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, Lesufi dismissed claims that the Gauteng PEC had defied Luthuli House regarding the formation of a minority government. This government excluded the DA, which is part of the national government of unity (GNU) with the ANC.
Lesufi said that a narrative had been created suggesting that Gauteng is defying national leadership in terms of establishing government. He clarified that in all the governments established in the province and municipalities, the Gauteng PEC had always secured the go-ahead from national officials.
Lesufi said:
There is this perception that if a government of provincial unity does not include the DA, it is not a government, or if it’s a government, it’s a corrupt government. We want to dispel that. It’s a wrong assessment, and it should not be encouraged.
“Actually, the establishment of this government was the decision of the national office bearers. We had to go to the national office bearers to request permission, so the national office bearers gave us permission to establish the government of provincial unity in Gauteng. It’s not my decision or the decision of the ANC in Gauteng,” he added.
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Lesufi also addressed reports that the ANC might dissolve the Gauteng PEC due to the province’s poor election performance. He dismissed such speculation as “misplaced,” saying that the focus should be on revitalising the ANC across the country, not singling out Gauteng.
“We must accept that all of us collectively as the ANC have not performed; we reached 40%. It can’t be that certain provinces must be praised and bad provinces must be condemned. All of us, and Gauteng leads, we accept that we have not done as anticipated,” he said.
Over the weekend, City Press’ sister publication, Rapport, reported concerns from ANC provincial structures in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal about a possible dissolution of leadership in both provinces after they performed poorly in the polls. The publication also noted dissatisfaction with Lesufi’s handling of issues such as the qualifications of his Amapanyaza peace force and misrepresentations about the National Health Insurance (NHI).
The ANC’s national working committee (NWC) officials, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, were in KwaZulu-Natal over the weekend and, on Monday, to meet with the PEC after assessing the party’s loss of electoral support in the province, mainly to former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).
The ANC saw its support in Gauteng drop from 50.1% in 2019 to 34.7% this year, while in KwaZulu-Natal, it fell from 54.2% to 17%, losing over 2 million votes in these two provinces alone.
‘There are no contradictions’
As the Gauteng ANC PEC awaits its meeting with the NWC, ANC Gauteng provincial secretary Thembinkosi “Tk” Nciza said that Luthuli House regularly received reports from his office on developments and that they have “never at any point gone against any decision of the national leadership.”
“The framework is very clear. It doesn’t say work with this party or that. It says engage with all parties, and we followed that framework to the letter. When we formed the government of provincial unity and the government in Johannesburg – including in Tshwane – they’re clear on where we stand and the ongoing negotiations. So, there are no contradictions,” Nciza said.
Nciza added that the ANC in the province is aiming to take control of the City of Tshwane as it gears up for the 2026 local government elections. This follows the party’s success in installing Morero as mayor last Friday, after Kabelo Gwamanda’s resignation earlier in the week.
ActionSA, which had previously vowed not to work with the ANC, played a crucial role in this outcome. The party is largely expected to assume the speaker positions in both Johannesburg and Tshwane if the ANC succeeds in reclaiming the capital city.
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Nciza said that the ANC in the province is “not obsessed” with holding onto power at all costs but is focused on improving service delivery in both metros as the party with the largest share of the vote.
He said:
We have an obsession with the services that are not reaching our people. When there’s a lack of service delivery, the problem is blamed on ANC councillors, who are seen as failing to deliver. That’s why we have an interest, because most of the councillors in these regions are from the ANC, and they’re the ones facing issues with our voters.
“In simple terms, we’re focused on Tshwane, and we believe changes will come soon. We’re engaging with ActionSA and all other parties about Tshwane’s future. The national office is aware of what I’m telling you, but we haven’t concluded anything yet.”
Lesufi added that they believe they have the numbers to remove the DA’s Cilliers Brink as the mayor of Tshwane.
“We have the numbers in Tshwane, but we don’t want to rush. That has been our approach. There are political parties that come to us excited, eager to return to power. We analyse everything carefully. Take Johannesburg, for instance – even without ActionSA, we would have won that municipality on our own, but you need to ensure that you win everyone over,” he said.
Among the other measures the ANC in the province is considering to regain ground after their poor election showing are launching a recruitment drive for new members, improving political education, monitoring and evaluating service delivery, addressing land invasions and reclaiming buildings occupied by illegal immigrants.
Thapelo Lekabe
www.news24.com
