ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula maintains the party is not in crisis and will bounce back with a majority in the 2026 local polls. “The ANC will come back, and the ANC can get 50%. Leave that to what we are going to do for the campaign and winning back support.
We know that we need to win big in Gauteng,” he said. “We need to win big in KwaZulu-Natal, no doubt about it. We can have an in-depth discussion about the strategy of coming back and winning above 50% in the next election.” His comments come as the 2026 elections approach and the party attempts to renew its image and regain public trust after years of corruption scandals, governance failures and deteriorating service delivery in ANC-led municipalities.
The ANC performed poorly in the May 2024 general elections, losing its parliamentary majority for the first time since 1994. This led to the formation of the government of national unity with former rivals the DA and Freedom Front Plus. “What we are doing in this National General Council and beyond will account for the kind of work we are going to do. That includes the conduct of ANC structures and the work we are doing on the ground,” he said.
