ANC renewal or recycling?

Nobuhle Nkabane, the new deputy chief whip of the ANC’s parliamentary caucus. Picture: Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi When the ANC speaks of “renewal”, people expect accountability, fresh leadership and a break from the culture of impunity that has eroded public trust. Yet the appointment of Nobuhle Nkabane last week as deputy chief whip in parliament – barely months after she was fired as minister of higher education and training under a cloud of controversy – suggests renewal is less about reform and more about recycling.

Nkabane’s tenure at higher education was marred by allegations of nepotism and cadre deployment in the appointment of sector education and training authorities’ boards. Her dismissal by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July last year was framed as part of a Cabinet clean-up, a signal that incompetence and patronage would no longer be tolerated. But her swift return to a senior parliamentary post undermines that message.

It tells South Africans that being fired for blunders is not a career-ending event in the ANC – it is merely a reshuffling of chairs. This contradiction cuts to the heart of the ANC’s credibility crisis. Renewal, in theory, is about restoring integrity and competence.

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In practice, it appears to be about maintaining loyalty networks and rewarding insiders. The party’s insistence that Nkabane brings “experience and qualifications” is technically true – she holds advanced degrees and has parliamentary experience – but qualifications mean little when overshadowed by a track record of controversy. Renewal cannot be reduced to academic credentials; it must be measured by ethical conduct and public trust.

The timing of this appointment is politically significant. With the local government elections looming, the ANC is desperate to convince younger voters – especially students and unemployed graduates – that it is serious about reform.

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