A Gathering Storm: ANC Faces Election Boycott Threat Over Unresolved 2021 Nomination Report

A ticking time bomb from the ANC’s recent past is threatening to detonate ahead of this year’s local government elections. Disgruntled party members, primarily from the North West, are warning they may boycott the polls unless the party finally addresses the damning findings of its own internal investigation into candidate nomination irregularities from 2021.

The source of their fury is the Motlanthe Report, compiled by a committee led by former president Kgalema Motlanthe, which was tasked with probing allegations of manipulated candidate lists ahead of the last local elections. The committee, working with North West ANC structures, found clear evidence of interference. Yet, according to members now speaking out, the report has “gathered dust since 2022,” with Luthuli House failing to act on its recommendations.

“The ANC Must Do Something or They Will Sink Further”

Members, who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal, accuse the party’s national leadership of neglecting the issue. “South Africa must know, this is going to be serious,” one warned. “The ANC must do something or they will sink further, again.”

The threat of a boycott is not an empty one. The North West was the epicentre of the reported irregularities, and alienating a significant bloc of its own grassroots structures could further weaken the ANC’s already contested grip on municipalities in the province. It represents a profound crisis of internal legitimacy, where the party’s own members feel betrayed by a system that allowed manipulated lists to stand unchallenged.

A Test of Accountability Versus Electoral Pragmatism

The standoff presents a critical test for the ANC. Implementing the Motlanthe Report’s findings would likely mean revisiting and potentially overturning contentious candidate selectionsa messy and divisive process. Ignoring it, however, risks a revolt from within, depressing voter turnout and activist energy when the party can least afford it.

This brewing internal rebellion highlights a recurring theme: the gap between the ANC’s stated commitment to renewal and its willingness to confront difficult, entrenched problems. As election machinery begins to warm up, the party must now decide whether to finally heed its own investigators or face the consequences of members who feel their democratic voice within the party was stolenand are now prepared to withhold their votes in response.