ANC NEC member Senzo Mchunu has issued a stark warning: the ANC is teetering on the edge of collapse, and without urgent intervention, the party’s days in power may be numbered.

Speaking at the tombstone unveiling of anti-apartheid activist Nokuhamba Nyawo in Machobeni, KwaZulu-Natal, over the weekend, Mchunu said the 2026 local government elections would be a critical juncture for the ANC’s survival.

Drawing a bleak analogy, he likened the ANC to “a person walking on the edge of a cliff,” urging party leaders to regroup before it is too late.

He warned that if the ANC failed to secure victory in next year’s municipal polls, it would be forced to “kiss power goodbye,” adding that the party would not survive the next national elections in its current state.

“We became big-headed and took the people for granted — they punished us. But there’s still time to mend our ways,” Mchunu admitted, conceding the party had alienated its base.

His comments come amid mounting internal divisions, falling public trust, and the ANC’s worst electoral performance since 1994. In the May 2024 elections, the party failed to secure a majority for the first time, plunging it into precarious coalition arrangements nationally.

Earlier this month, ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji lambasted the party’s leadership, accusing it of losing its moral compass.

“The ANC’s name has become a symbol of corruption, broken promises, and failed service delivery,” said Malatji, highlighting the generational rift within the party.

Mchunu, currently on special leave following explosive allegations by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, did not address the corruption claims directly. Mkhwanazi has accused Mchunu of interfering in police operations for political ends.

“I am ready to speak,” Mchunu said, referring to upcoming commission hearings into the matter.

KwaZulu-Natal ANC coordinator Mike Mabuyakhulu struck a more optimistic tone, insisting the party was “working robustly” to rebuild support. “We don’t want coalitions. We want to lead alone again,” he said.

The event also paid tribute to Nyawo’s legacy. She was hailed for her role in sheltering Umkhonto weSizwe cadres during apartheid. But even her memory served as a reminder of how far the ANC has strayed from its revolutionary roots.

With the 2026 elections looming, Mchunu’s message was unequivocal: reform or face political extinction.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

IOL Politics

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