Analysts warn ANC internal battles may hurt election prospects

timeslive.co.za · Feb 23, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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As the country prepares for the local government elections, expected to be held later this year, most political parties’ campaign trails are in full gear. However, the ANC regions and branches are engaged in squabbles over regional conference outcomes that are ending up in the courts, a sign that political analysts say shows growing divisions within the party which might hurt it at the polls. In Tshwane, 33 ANC members have approached the Gauteng high court in Pretoria seeking to have the party’s December regional conference declared unlawful, citing alleged procedural irregularities and breaches of the ANC’s constitution.In the court papers that the Sunday Times has seen, the applicants argue the gathering did not comply with the ANC constitution, claim the required 90% threshold of branch delegates was not met, and allege that a disqualified ward was allowed to participate and vote, which undermined the credibility of the process.In Limpopo, Vhembe region ANC members have questioned the legitimacy of the conference processes and the outcomes, particularly the May 4 conference last year.In the court papers, they argue that the regional conference did not comply with the ANC constitution and internal guidelines, raising concerns about procedural irregularities.The members also alleged non-adherence to conference guidelines, including the inclusion of bogus branch general meetings (BGMs). They further claimed unresolved branch disputes were ignored and that the regional task team failed to issue a signed final verification report confirming eligible branches and delegates before the conference proceeded.They also raised concerns about unauthorised changes to elected delegates and the failure to properly invite all qualified delegates. According to the documents, the conference did not meet the required 10% quorum threshold set out in the ANC constitution, which they argue renders the outcomes unlawful and open to nullification.Political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast told Sunday Times that while the ANC has internal conflict resolution mechanisms, they are often perceived as lacking impartiality.Contestation of conference processes, from processes leading to the conference to processes during the conference, has come to be a signature of how ANC factions respond to election dynamics.— Political analyst Ongama Mtimka “The ANC does have a conflict resolution mechanism to deal with these issues internally, but because of proximity to power, people tend to take sides, and they don’t adjudicate those cases objectively,” Breakfast said. Breakfast said the party’s perceived lack of objectivity is pushing aggrieved members towards litigation.“They can see that there is injustice internally, and then they consider instituting legal action elsewhere, which is in the court of law,” he said.Breakfast said the disputes reflect deeper institutional weaknesses.“I think they give an institutional or organisational challenge of lack of objectivity, a lack of integrity, a fight over power, because power gives one access to economic benefits,” he added.Breakfast warned that as the party approaches local government elections, such battles risk sending the wrong message to voters.“I think this shows that the ANC doesn’t care about the people, but they care about themselves ... this is not about the people, it’s about leaders using the ANC as a vehicle.”Political analyst Ongama Mtimka said the contestation of conference processes has increasingly become characteristic of ANC internal elections.“Contestation of conference processes, from processes leading to the conference to processes during the conference, has come to be a signature of how ANC factions respond to election dynamics,” Mtimka said.Mtimka emphasised that some legal challenges may be based on genuine procedural concerns.“They have legitimate grounds in failures to comply with the rules that guide how election conferences are undertaken,” he said.Local government elections tend to intensify internal competition because municipal leadership positions are closely tied to access to resources and influence.“At a local level, the manipulation of elites of internal party processes has a direct consequence on local patronage networks and access to resources,” Mtimka said, warning that these dynamics could negatively affect the ANC’s electoral prospects.Breakfast added that prolonged disputes could create confusion in metros where coalition politics have become the norm.“Maybe these people were deployed and then the new one submits a list of newly deployed comrades and with this you can imagine the confusion that causes.“Municipalities don’t know who to recognise because we’ve got different lists, because others are saying we are in charge, while others are saying the matter has been referred to court. It creates confusion, and that affects service delivery,” Breakfast added.ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula declined to comment in detail on the latest conference disputes, saying the matters are addressed through legal processes. “Why must I comment on this? I am in court almost every day dealing with these matters in all the regions. I even went to Mahikeng to attend court,” Mbalula said. Mbalula added that the members who take internal processes to court were defying the party, and all the disputes would be resolved in court.