‘I’m too old for that’: Gwede Mantashe shuts down ANC succession whispers

‘I’m too old, not available and retiring soon’ – Mantashe shuts the door on ANC top job rumours

Succession talk inside the ANC is heating up again – but Gwede Mantashe wants no part of it.

While the party’s national executive committee meets at Birchwood Hotel to assess performance and map the road ahead, whispers of 2027 leadership battles sit just beneath the surface. Power blocs are slowly assembling, names are floating in corridors, and ambitions are quietly stretching their legs. But for the ANC’s national chairperson, the idea of contesting the top job is dead on arrival.

“I’m not going to be available. I’m old. I’m over 70, so I’m retiring,” he told journalists on the sidelines of the NEC gathering.

It was said casually, but it landed like a full-stop in a sentence many hoped to stretch.

Succession storm brews, even as leaders warn ‘not yet’

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s term as ANC president ends in 2027, and although party leaders keep urging patience, the race is already forming its shape.

Names leading the rumour mill include Deputy President Paul Mashatile and secretary-general Fikile Mbalula. Now, a third contender has stepped into the political chat: National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, reportedly backed by senior leaders including Ramaphosa’s circle the same grouping that once championed Senzo Mchunu.

The timing is sensitive. The ANC has barely dusted off from internal bruises of the past decade, and any hint of factional battles risks reopening old wounds.

Mantashe’s message was clear: 2027 is far, and the party should not fight ghosts before they appear.

2026 metros could make or break the ANC

Pressed on upcoming local government elections, Mantashe gave a sobering reflection the real problem isn’t strategy, it’s public confidence.

“It’s the attitude of society towards us. If we don’t fix that, support won’t change.”

It’s an honest acknowledgement many South Africans have echoed on social media:

service delivery, corruption fatigue, power cuts and failing municipalities are costing votes.

Urban metros, once ANC strongholds, are now battlegrounds where the ruling party no longer walks in as favourite. Reclaiming those cities in 2026 will require more than rallies it demands trust, and trust is earned slowly.

Dual membership debate, ANC vs SACP tensions simmer

With the SACP planning to contest elections independently in 2026 and openly criticising the ANC-DA government of national unity, questions about dual membership surfaced.

Mantashe stood firm:

• dual membership is not banned

• members must decide individually where to campaign

• he himself belongs to both, but will vote ANC

It’s a delicate balancing act: unity vs independence, alliance tradition vs new political realignment. The cracks are there, subtle, but widening.

The real story? The ANC is entering a transition era

Behind the quotes and headlines, something deeper is unfolding.
A political generation is ageing out and a new one is preparing to inherit a party with shrinking dominance and rising public impatience.

Mantashe’s refusal may not stop succession talk. If anything, it confirms one truth:

The ANC is about to rewrite its leadership story, with or without him on the ballot.

And as 2026 and 2027 inch closer, the questions become louder:

• Who leads the ANC into a new era?

• Can the party rebuild trust in metros?

• Will alliances survive the strain?

South Africa will be watching, not just for names, but for a future worth voting for.

{Source: IOL}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com