ANC Eastern Cape provincial chairperson and premier Oscar Mabuyane has used the party’s Amathole regional conference to warn members of “inroads” being made by opposition parties in the region and province, saying this was causing the party “sleepless nights”.
Opening the region’s elective congress on Friday evening, Mabuyane said these opposition parties, which he described as “concrete political actors”, were making serious inroads in areas where the ANC had been dominant in the Amathole region and beyond.
He said this was contributing to what he called the “gradual erosion” and “decline in the ANC’s mass appeal” in the province, one of a few provinces still under total ANC control.
He warned party members against divisions within structures, saying such challenges were leading to opposition parties eating into the ANC’s support base, which could have detrimental effects in the upcoming local government elections later this year if not addressed.
“Opposition parties are steadily establishing a presence in this region. The UDM, the EFF, and the DA must give us sleepless nights. They are not remote political abstractions,” Mabuyane said.
“They are concrete political actors who are actively organising within our communities, contesting our hegemony and making inroads into our traditional support base. This gradual erosion is beginning to manifest itself in the decline of our mass appeal as the ANC.
This is a matter that requires serious attention, for it exposes both our electoral fragility and our broader political vulnerability.
— Oscar Mabuyane, ANC Eastern Cape provincial chairperson and premier
“This gradual erosion is visible at the ward and voting district level. It is precisely at this layer of our organisational presence where we are almost vulnerable.”
This concern, he said, was not a phenomenon confined to the Amathole region alone.
“It is a worrying trend that is beginning to take shape across the regions. As we engage in our deliberations over the course of these two days, this is a matter that requires serious attention, for it exposes both our electoral fragility and our broader political vulnerability.
“This is not merely an electoral question. It is a question of political authority. It is a question of whether the ANC continues to occupy its historic position as the leader of society, or whether that position is being incrementally contested and eroded.
“It is also a reflection of the contradictions between our historical mission and our present performance in government.
“Where we fail to deliver, others find space to occupy. Where we are absent, others organise. Where we are divided, others advance,” he said.
The mostly rural and troubled Amathole district has local municipalities such as Ngqushwa, Great Kei, Mnquma, Mbhashe, Amahlathi and Raymond Mhlaba under its jurisdiction, with Mabuyane saying the state of the municipalities demanded urgent and decisive intervention.
“We cannot speak of renewal while municipalities are struggling to deliver basic services. We cannot speak of transformation while our people continue to experience daily hardships that undermine their dignity.
“The crisis of water provision, the deterioration of rural infrastructure, and the limited capacity of local government institutions are matters that require immediate attention. They require a leadership that is hands-on, accountable, and capable of driving implementation,” he said.
The task before the ANC is clear, he said. “We must rebuild the organisational capacity of the ANC. We must restore the credibility of the state. We must ensure that local government becomes an effective instrument of service delivery and development.
We need to reflect on the state of our organisation. We have confronted the realities of declining electoral support, the encroachment of opposition forces and the material conditions confronting our people
— Mabuyane
“This requires ethical leadership, disciplined cadreship, and a clear programme of action. It requires that we confront corruption, inefficiency and complacency wherever they exist. It requires that we place the interests of our people above all else, and that we act with urgency in addressing their needs.”
This demands from the ANC a higher level of political consciousness, a deeper sense of responsibility and an unwavering commitment to its renewal.
“We need to reflect on the state of our organisation. We have confronted the realities of declining electoral support, the encroachment of opposition forces and the material conditions confronting our people.
“We have also located our struggles within the concrete realities of Amathole, a region rich in potential, yet burdened by structural underdevelopment, persistent unemployment and service delivery challenges that continue to undermine the dignity of our people.
“The question that now confronts us is whether we possess the collective will, the political maturity and the organisational discipline to act decisively. History does not wait. It moves with or without us. If we fail to rise to this moment, others will occupy the space that we have historically held,” he warned.
He urged conference delegates, guests and broader party supporters to make a decisive break “from the practices that have weakened our movement”.
“Let us restore the primacy of the branch. Let us reaffirm the authority of the organisation,” he said. “Let us re-establish the ANC as a disciplined force capable of leading society.”
Mabuyane said the people of Amathole are not asking for theory but for water, roads, electricity, work and dignity. “These are the fundamental expectations of our people. If we fail to meet them, we must not be surprised when our people begin to look elsewhere.
Our people continue to vote for the ANC not because they are satisfied with the present state of affairs, but because they still believe that the ANC can correct itself, renew itself and reclaim its historic mission
— Mabuyane
“We must first fix the ANC as a vehicle for social transformation and as the authentic leader of society.
“The health and heartbeat of the ANC reside in its branches, in their vitality, discipline, and organic connection with the masses. It is at this level where the movement must be renewed, where its moral authority must be restored, and where its programme must find concrete expression in the daily struggles of our people.”
However, he said the ANC in the region still had a strong “heartbeat”.
“To prove that the heartbeat of the ANC is still strong and that it retains its historical legitimacy, the ANC continues to enjoy electoral support in the region. In recent by-elections across municipalities such as Ngqushwa, Raymond Mhlaba, Mbhashe and Amahlathi, the ANC has retained key wards, reaffirming its enduring connection with the people.
“These outcomes must be properly understood. They are not merely electoral victories. They are expressions of a lingering confidence, a residual trust that the ANC, despite its present challenges, remains the only organisation capable of leading society towards a better life.
“However, comrades, these victories must not lull us into complacency. They are, in essence, defensive victories. They are victories that signal both confidence and caution.
“Our people continue to vote for the ANC not because they are satisfied with the present state of affairs, but because they still believe that the ANC can correct itself, renew itself and reclaim its historic mission.
“This places a heavy burden on all of us, a burden to ensure that the faith of our people is not betrayed.”
Daily Dispatch
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