Media Statements

The ANC convened its Ordinary National Executive Committee (NEC) Meeting from the 1st to 4th of August 2025, meeting under the guiding banner of the 70th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter. This historic gathering took place in a period of profound reflection and decisive action, as we continue to implement the resolutions of the 55th National Conference, advance the commitments of our 2024 Manifesto, and sharpen our movement’s posture in delivering the January 8 tasks.

The NEC met during Women’s Month, marking the 69th anniversary of the heroic 1956 Women’s March and 30th Anniversary of the national day signifying the advances we have made in women emancipation and transformation. The ANC reaffirms its unflinching commitment to addressing the triple oppression of women jn terms of race, class and gender. We celebrate this month focused women leadership and economic participation under this year’s theme: “Building Resilient Economies for All.” This moment is not only a commemoration of historic victories but a clarion call to confront persisting gender inequalities, including the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide (GBV-F).

The NEC reflected on several developments characterising the political terrain since our last meeting, including the emerging dynamics of the Government of National Unity (GNU), public opinion trends, the National Dialogue preparations, the critical challenge of unemployment, the high cost of living, infrastructure challenges, and international trade tensions, particularly the unilateral punitive tariffs imposed by the United States.

GEOPOLITICAL ISSUES

The NEC noted with appreciation the report on the Liberation Movements Summit and reaffirmed the ANC’s commitment to building a better Africa and a better world. The shifting geopolitical landscape requires that South Africa assert its sovereignty, defend multilateralism, and pursue partnerships that advance inclusive development. The ANC rejects with contempt attempts by domestic reactionaries and foreign forces to destabilise our nation through misinformation and economic coercion.

The National Executive Committee welcomes and fully supports the decisive interventions announced by Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation and Trade, Industry and Competition in response to the imposition of punitive tariffs by the United States. These measures reflect a coherent and strategic approach to defending South Africa’s economic sovereignty while prioritising the livelihoods of our people. The comprehensive support framework, including the establishment of an Export Support Deskand mobilisation of targeted industrial resilience funds, demonstrates a government that is proactive in shielding its productive sectors from external economic shocks. These actions are not isolated measures but form part of a broader national effort to restructure our trade relations, promote industrialisation, and ensure that South Africa’s engagement in the global economy is anchored in equity, dignity, and national developmental priorities.

The NEC is particularly resolute that South Africa will not be coerced into reversing its progressive economic transformation agenda or compromising its sovereignty under the guise of opportunistic foreign pressures. The Democratic Alliance’s reaction to the Ministers’ announcement exposes a mindset that is out of touch with the aspirations of the South African people. Their reckless calls for deregulation and abandonment of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment are a direct affront to the principles of the Freedom Charter, which demand that the people shall share in the country’s wealth. The DA’s posture reflects a deeply entrenched neo-imperialist mindset that seeks to subordinate South Africa’s sovereign right to chart its own economic destiny to the interests of foreign powers and domestic elites. The ANC will not retreat from defending the economic freedom of our people. Our government’s principled and deliberate approach remains firmly rooted in the struggle traditions that guided us to liberation and continue to guide us in building a sovereign, inclusive, and just South Africa

DOMESTIC ISSUES

THE ECONOMY

The NEC acknowledged the resilience of our economy despite the global headwinds and domestic pressures. The work of stabilising Eskom, with the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) now at 70%, is a milestone that speaks to the ANC’s determination to end load shedding and ultimately load reduction and ensure energy security for all South Africans. We are seeing tangible results of the Energy Action Plan, which must now be replicated in other strategic sectors such as water, logistics, and public infrastructure.

NATIONAL DIALOGUE

Preparations for the National Dialogue are proceeding in earnest. The National Convention sits on the backdrop of the 70th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter which was the precursor of dialogue and in line with our traditions even during the transition to democracy in the early 90s dialogues we had with all sections of our society which led to our democratic dispensation and the adoption of our progressive constitution. The National Dialogue will be held from 15-17 August 2025, setting the agenda for a nationwide conversation on the future of South Africa. This dialogue will not displace constitutional processes but will build a new social compact to address poverty, inequality, and unemployment. It will be citizen-led, inclusive, and transformative giving the people of South Africa an opportunity to set a new direction for our future.

GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY (GNU)

The NEC welcomed a comprehensive report from the GNU Task Team assessing the performance of the Government of National Unity since its establishment immediately after the 2024 elections. The NEC identified significant progress in the GNU’s work over the past twelve months. Within Parliament, the ANC has adapted to the complexity of operating in a political landscape where it no longer holds a majority.The NEC reminds our structures that the GNU is not a permanent structure but a tactical necessity to safeguard South Africa’s progressive agenda amidst a fractured electoral mandate. The GNU is an instrument for nation-building, governance, inclusive development, and championing the ANC’s transformation agenda. It was crafted to ensure stability in government, advance service delivery to our people, and drive transformation with the ANC’s strategic leadership at its core.

The NEC resolved to reset the GNU and mandated the Officials to engage with current GNU partners to broaden participation, strengthen the functioning of the GNU, and give full effect to the Statement of Intent. Our movement will not be short-sighted nor allow opportunistic forces to manipulate this platform for narrow partisan ends. The ANC remains clear that the GNU is a bridge towards the National Democratic Society we seek to build, and it is not an end in itself.

MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANISATIONAL WORK

The NEC noted that ANC membership stands at 1,479,257, with 809,361 in good standing, reflecting a 19.5% increase since June 2025. This is a clear testament to the people’s enduring faith in their movement.

All branches must ensure compliance with functionality criteria and the completion of the Foundation Course by November 2025. The NEC further directed that Branch General Meetings be quality-assured, attendance verified, and that Regional Executive Committee (RECs) adopt performance-based KPIs as branches must be programme based and sites of activism where our people can be services by our structures.

This is a period of renewal and rebuilding. Every member must undergo political education to ensure we build an advanced cadre that is able to meet the demands of this current epoch and its challenges, including aligning personal conduct with the revolutionary ethos of the ANC.

The NEC commended the work of the NEC Subcommittee on Political Education. To date, 108,407 members have completed various modules of the Foundation Course. This is a pillar of our organisational renewal. Every cadre must embody revolutionary morality, service, and humility.

Regional Conferences remain on track, and this year we expect 45 out of our 52 regions to hold conferences by December 2025 which is a cut-off date as we focus on the Local Government Elections. It is mandatory that all comrades attending Regional Conferences must have attended and completed the Foundation Course. No conference will proceed without thorough verification and the mandatory three-day cooling-off period must be observed. The SGO will capacitate the National Dispute Resolution Committee (NDRC) and the National Dispute Resolution Committee of Appeals (NDRCA) to manage appeals efficiently in the ongoing processes from various provinces. It will ensure that the timelines are tightened in line with Conference Guidelines.

In KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, the Provincial Task Teams (PTTs) have recorded significant progress in rebuilding structures and restoring organisational coherence. The NEC noted this progress with satisfaction.The Western Cape, however, demands a reconfiguration of its structures, which will be executed in strict adherence to the ANC Constitution. National Subcommittees will descend to the province to reinforce political education, organisational discipline, and strategic capacity with a focus on effective and efficient delivery in municipalities run by the ANC. We will engage in a programme that will ensure a strategic shift in the Western Cape and challenge the DA through our work in the various structures of our organisation, the legislature and government.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

Local Government remains at the epicentre of service delivery challenges. The NEC mandated that a Special NEC on Local Government convene within a fortnight to finalise Rules and Guidelines for the 2026 Local Government Elections and to intensify interventions that will go a long way in stabilising municipalities. The ANC Councillor Selection Process has undergone intense changes and the ANC will prioritise Councillors who are capable, ethical and are rooted in their communities. We will ensure that every councillor understands deployment is a call to service, it is a primary responsibility, not a reward.

We will not tolerate ill-discipline, absenteeism, and internal opposition within our ranks as we have seen in certain caucuses. Such behaviour will be met with decisive corrective action.

The ANC Elections Strategy is completed and our structures are ready and we will keep sustaining and consolidating on this work. The NEC commended the Electoral Committee’s progress and ratified the appointment of Provincial List Committees for the 2026 Local Government Elections. By-election performances between April and July 2025 demonstrated that where the ANC is on the ground, actively resolving community issues, public confidence improves. We call on all deployees to fast-track delivery and ensure activist branches lead the people’s struggles daily in communities. Our cadres, members and volunteers should focus on addressing community challenges where they exist and are deployed.

NATIONAL GENERAL COUNCIL (NGC)

The NEC received a comprehensive report on the preparations for the National General Council (NGC), which will convene from 8 to 12 December 2025 at NASREC. The NGC, as mandated by the Constitution of the African National Congress, is not merely a conference – it is the largest political school of the ANC.

It is the midterm assembly where the entire movement comes together to reflect, review, and sharpen its strategic posture.

This NGC will serve as a critical platform to assess the ANC’s progress in implementing the resolutions of the 55th National Conference, review the execution of our 2024 Manifesto priorities, and honestly confront both our organisational strengths and weaknesses. It is a time for political introspection, where we analyse the balance of forces, domestically and globally, and determine how these material conditions impact the pace and direction of the National Democratic Revolution.

Importantly, the NGC will be a unifying platform to consolidate our efforts towards social cohesion, organisational renewal, and building a vibrant, activist ANC that is firmly rooted among the masses. The NEC adopted the NGC Base Document which will anchor all discussions and sharpen our policy positions, ensuring that our movement is ideologically and programmatically fit to lead South Africa towards a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, and prosperous society.In preparation, the NEC adopted the Credentials Framework for the NGC, confirming that the membership cut-off date will be 30 September 2025. Furthermore, all delegates attending the NGC will be required to have completed the ANC Political Education Foundation Course by November 2025, ensuring a politically literate and ideologically grounded participation.

ON THE SACP

The NEC engaged in a frank and principled discussion on the decision of the South African Communist Party (SACP) to contest the Local Government Elections independently of the ANC. As a revolutionary movement, we recognise the SACP’s right as an independent organisation to chart its own electoral path. However, as a movement that has shared trenches with the SACP in the struggle for freedom, we have communicated our profound disagreement with this decision. It is our considered view that this move carries far-reaching implications for the strategy and programme of the National Democratic Revolution. The NEC recalled many moments in history in which the SACPs vanguard role was very critical in the struggle. Successive generations of party leaders have always affirmed that the route to socialism will traverse and be approached through the National democratic revolution led by the national liberation movement.

Our shared victories against apartheid, our collective resistance to neoliberal exploitation, and our vision of a just society cannot be surrendered to fleeting tactical divergences. The ANC will act with maturity and fortitude, engaging our allies with humility but also with clarity. Unity is the weapon of the oppressed, and disunity is a luxury we cannot afford. As we move forward, the ANC will safeguard this alliance because it is not as a sentimental relic but is a revolutionary necessity in the ongoing battle for economic justice, transformation of our society, dignity, and the continued liberation of the working class and the poor.

The alliance between the ANC, SACP, COSATU, and SANCO is not a historical artefact but a living, dynamic front that remains central to the transformation agenda of our country, continent and the globe. We will keep engaging our allies ahead of the political summit.

DISCIPLINARY MATTERS

The NEC noted the National Disciplinary’s (NDC’s) decisions regarding Comrades David Mahlobo, Malusi Gigaba, Zizi Kodwa, and Cedric Frolick, whose charges have prescribed. The appeal by Cde Obed Bapela was dismissed, and his disciplinary process continues.

REBURIAL PROGRAMME

The ANC remains committed to ensuring a dignified handover, reburial and funeral of all our fallen heroes of our struggle whose remains have been returned to the country and are still to be returned in the next phase of the project. The reburial of Mme Florence Mophosho in this women’s month will be overseen by the SGO as part of our sacred duty to honour our martyrs and it happens during the month when her counterpart Ma Shope whom we buried months earlier would have been celebrating her centenary.

JANUARY 8 STATEMENT AND RALLY

The NEC resolved that the 2026 January 8th Rally will be hosted in the North West Province, reaffirming our principle of rotational celebration.

CONDOLENCES

The NEC conveys its heartfelt condolences to the families of the following comrades, former Deputy President David Dabede ‘DD’ Mabuza, Isithwalandwe Mme Getrude Shope, Lungi Mnganga-Gcabashe, Don Mlangeni Nawa, Zolani Mtshotshisa, Ambassador Ratubatsi Super Moloi, Vanya Mangaliso, Mohammed Iqbal Kader, Rashid Lombard, Tshenuwani Farisani, Fred Mokoko, Theresa Solomon, Bishop Dr. SD Gumbi and all others who have departed. We also mourn the tragic loss of lives in Mthatha following devastating floods.

Comrades, we stand at a defining moment. The ANC must not only lead. The ANC is earning its leadership through disciplined activism, service, and renewal. Our people are watching. History is calling. The future is waiting.

END//