Yasmin Bilal
The ANC is preparing for the 2026 Local Government Elections, with party leadership finalising its priorities and commitments ahead of the municipal polls.
Speaking at the Special National Executive Committee meeting in Gauteng, ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said the party was deliberating on and adopting the final manifesto framework before presenting it to South Africans.
“Today we are in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng for the African National Congress Special National Executive Committee. This sitting will be deliberating on and adopting the 2026 Local Government Elections Manifesto,” said Mbalula.
Mbalula also responded to allegations made by ANC NEC member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma that he distributed money during the party’s 2022 national conference.
He rejected the claims and said the matter would be dealt with through the appropriate channels.
“It was a wide-ranging interview, and this was just one aspect. With Mam Nkosazana we went to conference in 2022, and she didn’t raise that matter with me,” he said.
“I don’t have issues if she was generalising, but she is not. She is saying that I was distributing the money. This matter will be handled between myself and her in relation to these allegations.”
Mbalula said the allegations had caused serious reputational damage and could not be resolved through a private discussion.
“The damage is too huge because she states this allegation as a matter of fact. My recourse can’t be a private meeting because she said this in a popular podcast,” he said.
He defended podcast platforms, saying presenters should not be blamed for statements made by their guests.
“The fact that ANC leaders go there and say whatever they want, we can’t blame the podcast presenter for that. They are simply doing their job,” said Mbalula.
He said public figures had the right to express their views, but allegations must be supported by evidence.
“We can’t just accuse people with no substance and expect them not to take action,” he said.
Mbalula said he would refer the matter to the ANC Integrity Commission and pursue legal action.
“There’s no political solution to a charge that you have stolen money. It’s either you accept that you have stolen money or you clear yourself,” he said.
“The course of action is that the matter should be referred to the Integrity Commission and secondly the recourse on my side is a legal route. That is my position.”
On the upcoming local government elections, Mbalula said the ANC campaign would be led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“The campaign is ANC-driven and the face of the campaign is President Cyril Ramaphosa,” he said.
He said the party had introduced a new process to interview and vet mayoral and councillor candidates before the elections. More than 10,000 candidates will contest the polls on the ANC ticket, while mayoral candidates will be unveiled at the manifesto launch.
Mbalula also defended the Government of National Unity (GNU), saying it had brought stability despite political and ideological differences among coalition partners.
“The GNU was created and is supported and led by the African National Congress to bring stability to our country, and it has achieved that,” he said.
“The GNU was not a melting pot of people who were obligated to work together. That’s why inside the GNU there are political and ideological contradictions. Politically, we didn’t kill the political identities of other parties.”
He said disagreements between coalition partners should not be viewed as a sign that the GNU was collapsing.
“When other parties attack us in the public domain, it doesn’t mean the GNU is collapsing. The GNU is governing and leading the country and ensuring there is stability,” he said.
Mbalula also called on government to protect vulnerable households from rising living costs.
He said tensions in the Middle East, including developments around the Strait of Hormuz, were contributing to higher fuel prices and putting pressure on consumers.
“We are saying the government must take action to protect the poor from these rising costs of living. The midterm budget of the Finance Minister must deal with these issues. We must cushion the poor and do something about the fuel levy,” he said.
He also defended the ANC’s response to recent court rulings affecting party structures, saying the organisation would continue using legal avenues to challenge judgments.
Mbalula said the party remained confident the Supreme Court of Appeal would provide clarity.