ANC Secretary-General, Fikile Mbalula.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
The ANC's national leadership has removed Jeff Radebe as the convener of the party in KwaZulu-Natal, following the failure to revive the structures in the province ahead of this year's local government elections.
Making the announcement at a media briefing on Wednesday, the party’s Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula announced Radebe’s removal and that he would be replaced by Mike Mabuyakhulu as part of a reconfigured Provincial Task Team (PTT).
Radebe was removed together with his deputy Weziwe Thusi as well as Nomusa Dube who was deputy coordinator. Dube is now a Higher Education Deputy Minister and has moved to Pretoria. She was appointed last year when President Cyril Ramaphosa fired Dr Nobuhle Nkabane as Higher Education Minister.
The new KwaZulu-Natal ANC provincial task team was announced by Secretary-General, Fikile Mbalula on Wednesday.
Image: Willem Phungula
Mbalula also announced former eThekwini mayor and SACP provincial chairperson James Nxumalo as a new coordinator. He will be deputised by Umkhanyakude District Municipality mayor Siphile Mdaka while Mabuyakhulu, will be assisted by former Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi and Transport MEC Siboniso Duma.
Announcing the new team, Mbalula avoided questions on why the changes were necessary - particularly the decision to remove Radebe, saying he did not want to apportion blame to anyone.
“We have passed the stage of Tazz and Ferrari, now we are looking forward to working together with the new team as a collective to rebuild the ANC in the province. We don’t want to apportion blame to anyone. This new structure has learned from the mistakes of the old structure,” said Mbalula
He promised to return next week to announce the additional members who will work with the Mabuyakhulu’s top seven as well as to announce Radebe’s new role in the ANC.
Mbalula also defended the appointment of Nxumalo, a senior SACP leader, to the powerful position given the strained relationship between the ANC and its alliance partner. He said 'communists are still members of the ANC and welcome despite SACP’s decision to contest election alone'.
“Nxumalo is a member of the ANC although he is a communist. We have no problem with the dual membership,” said Mbalula.
Radebe and his team of 67 expanded provincial executive committee (PEC) members were formally introduced by Mbalula in February last year at the same venue.
Mbalula's shake-up comes less than a week after former President Kgalema Motlanthe, who chairs the ANC electoral committee, warned of a “serious manifestation of political and administrative dysfunctionality” that is crippling the party, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.
Motlanthe highlighted these systemic issues in a report documenting crises across structures in four provinces ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
The ANC faces significant internal and external challenges across several provinces ahead of the local government elections. The issues include provincial leadership instability, fractured alliances and deteriorating service delivery in critical municipalities.
He characterised the situation as part of a broader organisational crisis, highlighting deep political and administrative dysfunctionality.
Motlanthe said without adapting to change and “whipping the party into shape”, the program of organisational renewal remains undermined by chronic corruption and institutionalised dysfunction.
Motlanthe warned that the ANC in KZN is “effectively dying”, due to a catastrophic collapse of its organisational structures.
Cape Times