ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula.
Image: X/FikileMbalula
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has announced a rigorous new approach to local governance, emphasising that the party is "rolling up (its) sleeves" to intervene directly in municipal performance.
Speaking at a media briefing, Mbalula detailed a selection process for upcoming mayoral candidates and a new action plan involving high-level site visits to metros.
Mbalula revealed that the ANC has initiated a formal process to select mayors for metros and secondary cities. This selection framework moves beyond internal membership, with the party inviting the public to weigh in on preferred candidates.
"We want the best of the best," Mbalula stated, noting that candidates will undergo a strict vetting process, including:
Mbalula clarified that while elected regional leadership is encouraged to contest, the party is not confining itself solely to those currently in elected positions. This follows a successful pattern already implemented at the ward level, where some councillors were chosen specifically because of strong community backing.
Starting next Monday, the ANC's top seven leaders and the National Working Committee (NWC) will begin visiting various metros to showcase practical work completed under the party's local government plan.
This action plan aims to provide an account of the 10 commitments the party made during its initial plan launch. Mbalula noted that the visits will highlight work achieved both by the ANC directly and through its participation in various coalitions, specifically citing ongoing efforts in Johannesburg.
Mbalula addressed the inherent difficulties of governing through coalitions, describing them as environments where "your ego doesn't work" and partners must "sing along" to ensure solid governance.
He pointed to the high turnover of mayors in Johannesburg, referencing past leadership under the DA’s Herman Mashaba and Mpho Phalatse, as well as Thapelo Amad and Kabelo Gwamanda, as evidence of the instability coalitions can create.
"We are not working for coalition governments," Mbalula emphasised, stating the ANC’s primary goal remains an outright majority win. He criticised smaller parties for rejecting a proposed "threshold" for coalition participation that the ANC and DA had both supported to bring stability to municipal governance.
While acknowledging that the party is seeing the campaign activities of opponents like Helen Zille, Mbalula maintained that the ANC, as an incumbent, is in a constant state of campaigning through its daily governance and accounting to the people.
Regarding recent performance, Mbalula highlighted that the ANC has successfully defended its base in the majority of by-elections, including wins in Johannesburg and the Northern Cape. However, he admitted to challenges in KwaZulu-Natal, where the party lost some seats to the IFP and MKP.
"People don't eat ideology, they eat the real things," Mbalula concluded, asserting that voters will ultimately judge the party based on the practical results of its interventions.
Cape Times