By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) second deputy Secretary General Nomvula Mokonyane says the party it is looking at exactly how it lost a majority for the first time since democracy, and what it can do to win its voters back.
Mokonyane and head of elections Mdumiseni Ntuli addressed the media on the outcomes of reflections of the 2024 National and Provincial Elections at Boksburg on Friday – day two of the six-day meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
An animated Mokonyane said the ANC would “not become a carcass in our lifetime” because it had “learned from its mistakes”.
The NEC was discussing how certain facets of campaigning and ANC operations would need to improve, namely: dialogue, accountability, educated recruitment of members and leaders and connecting with the challenges of the masses rather than being inward-looking.
They owed it to the six million people who voted for them, she said.
As a comeback strategy, she said they would continue with service delivery to ensure that people were familiar with their programme of action.
“It’s one of the lessons we learned, where there is a need to intervene, do it when it’s four years and nine months before the next elections.
“We need solutions that incorporate everybody and ensure that those interventions are sustained,” she said.
South Africans have long criticised the ANC for failing to deliver basic services and neglecting their concerns.
High unemployment, crime, gender-based violence (GBV), water shortages, power outages, poverty, housing issues, and lack of economic development were all factors contributing to the decline in ANC support. Mokonyane said the ANC’s plan is to address these concerns and meet the people’s demands. This will be under the Government of National Unity (GNU), which consists of ten political parties.
Ntuli said there is an assumption out there that “the ANC doesn’t learn”, but this is false.
“We all have understood that for the first time, the ANC has less than 50%. It is a totally new situation. It requires that we make certain changes in terms of how we conduct our business as a party,” he said.
He said for a period of time, there had been a steady decline of movement in the party and less connection with people on the ground.
Furthermore, he said the environment in the election buildup was “hostile to the ANC”, which was also a reason for its poor performance.
“We began [campaigning] at a time when load shedding was at its peak and the mood in the country towards the ANC and the ANC-led government was quite negative, very difficult to campaign on.”
However, he said interventions were done to “inform a national conversation” to help deal with this.
Mokonyane said many people did not turn out to vote and it was a goal of the ANC to identify the general locations, ages and demographics of these people.
She said after the NEC meeting, members would look at strengthening election machinery, especially in KwaZulu-Natal – where the party lost many voters to the MK party – and Gauteng.
Mokonyane said the ANC must honestly look at why they lost so many voters and if tribalism and culture may have played a part.