ANC veteran and National Executive Committee (NEC) member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has emphasised the need for the ANC to rebuild its structures on the ground and focus on local government to restore trust with the people. 

With the upcoming local government elections, Dlamini-Zuma stressed that the ANC should prioritise strengthening its branches and delivering services to communities.

Service delivery remains a challenge in South Africa. This includes inadequate infrastructure, insufficient resources, and issues of maintenance and accountability.

Dlamini-Zuma highlighted the importance of building strong branches.

“Our branches must be built properly because the strength of the branch is what they do in the community… We are going to the local government elections, and we should be concentrating on that right now.”

She emphasised that strong branches would lead to strong councillors who can deliver services effectively, ultimately rebuilding trust between the government and the people.

The former minister emphasised that people experience government daily through local government, making it crucial for the ANC to have a strong presence at the local level. 

“If we have a strong local government, we will have strong contact with the people, and trust between the government and the people will be restored,” she said.

In 2017, Dlamini-Zuma lost the battle to become the ANC president to Cyril Ramaphosa, who won with 2,440 votes. Dlamini-Zuma got 2,261. 

However, under Ramaphosa, the party lost its parliamentary majority in a historic election result that put South Africa on a new political path, in which the ANC was forced to form the Government of National Unity (GNU) with the DA and other small parties.

When asked about unity within the ANC, Dlamini-Zuma acknowledged that there have been breakaways from the party, but emphasised that the ANC still holds a vast majority in Parliament. 

“There is one ANC, but there have been people breaking away from the party,” she said, adding that it’s essential for the party to unite and act in the best interest of the ANC.

Although Dlamini-Zuma said she would not be interested in contesting for the ANC presidency again, she expressed her commitment to the ANC, saying that she would never leave her party.

“I’d never leave the ANC. I will fix it from within.” She believes that rebuilding the party’s structures and delivering services to the people can help the ANC survive and thrive.

The former African Union chairperson added that she was busy with establishing a foundation, named NDZ-the Africa We Want, that would focus on African matters by the end of the year.

As an NEC member, Dlamini-Zuma has previously highlighted the importance of addressing pressing issues like overcrowding in schools.

She emphasised the need for a program to urgently deal with this problem, demonstrating her focus on service delivery and improving the lives of South Africans.

As an NEC member, Dlamini-Zuma has previously highlighted the importance of addressing pressing issues like overcrowding in schools.

She emphasised the need for a program to urgently deal with this problem, demonstrating her focus on service delivery and improving the lives of South Africans.

The ANC is also known for its internal factionalism, which has been a defining characteristic of its policies, particularly around leadership transitions and key conferences. 

These factions are often characterised by rivalries between supporters of specific individuals, regional, and local personalities.

Although she admitted factions contributed to the downfall of the ANC, Dlamini-Zuma emphasised that the party needs to deliver services to redeem itself.

“It’s important that once we renew the ANC, we don’t factionalise it, we unite and act in the best interest of the ANC. Factions contributed to the downfall of the ANC, but not being in touch with the people on the ground is much more important.

“If we build strong branches and deliver services to the people, the ANC can survive. The ANC as an organisation has the largest footprint in the country, and it has progressive policies,” she said.

mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za

manyane.manyane@inl.co.za

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