By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee (NEC), the highest decision-making body in between conferences, concluded day 1 of its meeting focusing on a political overview by its President and a report on the economy.
The NEC meeting is taking place at the Lakewood Conference Centre, Ormonde, after a series of postponements and the meeting is expected to conclude on Monday.
The ANC will wade through issues including the United States (US) tariffs, the state of local government and a move by its alliance partner to go at it alone in next year’s municipal polls.
The US imposed 30% tariffs on South Africa from 7 August, the Trump administration announced on Thursday night.
South Africa is the only country from sub-Saharan Africa singled out in the announcement, reflecting US strained relationship with Pretoria.
Other African nations, including Lesotho and Zimbabwe, have been hit with a 15% tariff, which will also come into effect in seven days.
The decision is a huge blow to South Africa, as the US is its second-biggest trading partner.
South Africa’s automobile, farming and textile sectors had enjoyed duty-free access to the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa).
South Africa had been trying to agree a trade deal with the US, which included buying US liquefied natural gas, simplifying rules for US poultry imports and investing in US industries like mining.
Mbalula briefed the media in Johannesburg earlier today, saying among others, they will discuss the implications of the tariff increase in terms of the economic trajectory and the path forward, how it impacts on our economy, and what are the options.”
“We will pronounce on that once we get the report, but also have a strategic intervention about what needs to be done.”
The Secretary General said the NEC will also discuss the state of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
It has been more than a year since the formation of the coalition government with the Democratic Alliance (DA) and others smaller parties, after the ANC lost its majority in parliament for the first time since 1994.
“We will consider a strategic discussion on the GNU. It’s not about the review of the GNU. It’s about the discussion of the GNU as an option we have taken,” he said.
“So there’s no discussion that is premised on reviewing the GNU, we sill deal with those matters when they arise in the meeting. The GNU is not a melting pot. It has got its own challenges.”
The GNU has faced a myriad of challenges, including the disagreements over the national budget and the DA pulling out of the National Dialogue due to the dismissal of Deputy Minister Andrew Whitfield.
As political parties begin to prepare for the crucial 2026 local government elections, the ANC grapples with a series of damaging scandal that threaten its electoral prospects and reputation as the former liberation movement.
Central to these controversies is the recent scandal involving police minister Senzo Mchunu, a prominent ANC figure, whose alleged misconduct threatens the party’s image as a trustworthy custodian of public interest.
Mbalula said, “We’ve met with the SACP [South African Communist Party], what then do we need to do as the ANC with regards to the response we are getting from the SACP, which in the main is saying no retreat – no surrender.”
The SACP has decided to operationalise its desire to contest elections as a separate entity.
The SACP has historically functioned as an ally of the ANC in the tripartite alliance, which includes labour federation Cosatu. Although SACP members have stood as ANC candidates in elections, the party itself has never contested under its own banner.
But tensions in the alliance have grown in recent years, with the SACP increasingly vocal in its criticism of the ANC’s economic policies, governance failures and handling of corruption scandals.