‘Gatvol’ branches turn back on ANC

Anger in the ANC grassroots structures is threatening to cost the party next year’s election – and if that happens, it must blame nobody else but itself.

The party is not servicing its branches, it keeps making empty promises and the grassroots structures say they are gatvol.

Some branches The Citizen spoke to said nominations for national and provincial office bearers were not relevant to them as they were not at the coalface of service delivery like municipal councillors.

“These MPs are nominated but never come back to branches to report or account for five years.

“The biggest challenge here is that the MPs have lost touch with the grassroots,” said one ANC member, who asked to remain anonymous.

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Many of the party’s branches took a decision to boycott the party’s parliamentary nominations, which has caused the ANC to panic after various polls showed it would get below 50% in next year’s elections. One poll being discussed by senior members within the party placed it below 40% and this had sent Luthuli House into a panic.

Political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast, director of the Centre for Security, Peace and Conflict Resolution at Nelson Mandela University, said it was clear from various polls that the party would drastically underperform in 2024.

“It is quite clear that things are falling apart for the ANC. The conclusions that the ANC performance will drop in 2024 is confirmed by many studies.

“I think they have run out of ideas; their attempt to polish their image at this time is too late because the damage has been done,” Breakfast said.

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The Sunday Times reported widespread poor attendance at gatherings for the nomination of MPs and provincial legislatures by ANC branches. Some ANC national executive committee members were reported to be concerned and critical about the party’s preparedness for the 2024 elections.

The ANC heard from its electoral committee chair, former president Kgalema Motlanthe, that only 2 533 branches had submitted lists out of more than 3 000 branches.

Several party branches in different provinces which The Citizen spoke to on Sunday were dissatisfied with ANC’s lack of action. The party had ignored complaints about irregularities during the 2021 local government candidate nomination process.

They also cited the gap that continued to exist between parliamentarians and communities. MPs and MPLs tended to disappear and only return to the people after five years when they sought nomination again.

“We are sidelined as branches. There is a problem of accountability by our politicians,” a branch member from the Eastern Cape, said, anonymously.

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A senior ANC branch leader in the North West said the party had promised to attend to their grievances over candidate nomination irregularities for 2011, 2016 and 2021 local government elections, but no action had been taken.

“Comrades are still bitter with LGE2021 [the 2021 local government elections].

“The Motlanthe commission needs to be implemented to bring back confidence to ordinary members.

“We have had enough of being lied to for so long.”

During the 2021 local government elections, unknown candidates were smuggled onto nomination lists for municipal seats without the branches’ knowledge. The matter was investigated by the ANC electoral committee, chaired by Motlanthe and assisted by provincial list committees.

The committee found top ANC politicians, including ministers, MPs, MPLs and mayors had smuggled illegal candidates onto the legitimate candidates’ list sent to the Electoral Commission prior to the 2021 local polls.

It recommended the illegal candidates be removed and replaced with the members nominated through popular votes by branches.

The Motlanthe report was swept under the carpet to avoid embarrassing the party. Some people in the organisation believe the cover-up could return to haunt the party in 2024.