By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) says it is unfair to blame the current collective in the party for structural issues that originated years ago.
This follows former president Thabo Mbeki’s comments suggesting President Cyril Ramaphosa and the rest of the top seven resign after the party’s dismal performance in the 2026 Local Government Elections.
The party went from 45.59% in 2021 to 30.76% in the elections.
Mbeki’s calls for Ramaphosa to resign have added another dimension to the debate over the party’s leadership and direction.
He was a guest on African Renaissance Podcast, and discussed a range of topics including US-SA relations and the dismal ANC election results.
The former president reflected on Ramaphosa’s presidency since his election and said there has been “a lot” of negativity since 2017.
“The economy goes down, levels of unemployment increase, levels of poverty increase, levels of violence and crime in the society increase, ANC loses massive support in terms of the people.”
“Nothing positive happens. Isn’t it time for the top seven to say, like President Ramaphosa seems to be saying, we can’t continue to lead, having produced this negative outcome of this kind,” said Mbeki.
ANCYL President Collen Malatji says Mbeki should account to party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), arguing that the challenges confronting the ANC did not begin under Ramaphosa’s leadership.
Malatji was addressing members of the media in Johannesburg on Tuesday when he criticised Mbeki’s intervention, describing his remarks as unfortunate.
“The statement raised by President Thabo Mbeki is just unfortunate,” Malatji said.
He argued that Mbeki should raise his concerns within the ANC’s internal structures rather than publicly calling for Ramaphosa to step down.
“He must come raise them in the National Executive Committee of the ANC. We engage them at that level, and he must be able to explain to us that when he was confronted with those issues under his leadership, why did he not resign? “Malatji said.
Malatji also argued that responsibility for the ANC’s declining electoral support should not rest solely on Ramaphosa.
He said all ANC leaders and public representatives must account for the party’s performance, particularly those entrusted with government responsibilities and party deployment positions.
The ANC is expected to convene its National Executive Committee meeting on Thursday, 12 November 2026, where the party’s performance in the elections is expected to come under scrutiny.
The meeting is likely to provide a platform for senior party leaders to discuss the factors behind the ANC’s electoral performance, internal challenges and possible measures to rebuild support among voters.