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Will the ANC’s 5th NGC Revive Its Grassroots, or Lose the Streets for Good?
A Crossroads for the ANC
In the halls of the African National Congress (ANC)’s 5th National General Council (NGC), the tone is urgent and unflinching. The party’s leaders have issued a stark reminder: this gathering is not another routine conference. It is, as one veteran put it, a “line in the sand.” A defining moment. A reckoning.
For decades, the ANC claimed to be more than a political organisation. It was the heartbeat of communities: in townships, streets, and local halls, with people meeting face-to-face, sharing ambitions, and organising for a shared future. But in 2025, the question looming large is this: is that spirit still alive, or has it faded into inert structures that only stir during campaigns?
From Living Movements to Empty Branches
According to internal diagnostics, the decay starts at the grassroots. Many branches exist only on paper; ward committees and street structures are hollow, while councillors and MPs vanish the moment elections end. Membership sometimes comes from bulk sign-ups, not committed individuals. As one ANC report puts it, the once-vibrant connection between the party and everyday South Africans has “bled away.”
Combined with corruption, austerity, and a sluggish local state, this hollowing out has not just weakened the ANC’s internal strength but also drained its moral authority. Communities living with failing services, crime, and corruption sense this absence keenly. For workers, the picture is even darker: collapsing municipal services and endemic insecurity feel like a betrayal of the hopes invested in post-apartheid promises.
The Tools for a Turnaround Are Within Reach
But all is not lost. The ANC has not returned to this moment empty-handed. Among the proposals on the table is a tool called the Branch Functionality Barometer. Designed to measure whether branches are truly active, visible, and accountable, the Barometer is meant to determine which branches are living organisms and which are mere ghosts. If enforced, it could mark a shift from symbolic structures to genuine organs of people’s power.
On the 2026 local government horizon, the party has also introduced new rules to ensure candidate selection is transparent and grounded in community support. No more backroom deals or elite caucus picks. Instead, the emphasis would be on real track records and councillors who are present, engaged, and accountable, not parachuted in for votes.
In some regions, such as the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)-aligned Dullah Omar Region, activists have already begun calling for a reset: ideological clarity, ethical governance, and a developmental state rooted in everyday realities.
What “Renewal” Needs to Look Like
If the ANC is serious about revival, here is what needs to happen next:
Community meetings should replace secretive caucuses when it comes to selecting candidates. Accountability must be enforced via community feedback, petitions, and even recall processes. Street-level structures, block committees, youth groups, women’s forums, and civic groups must be rebuilt and linked to the formal wing of the party, creating overlapping layers of community engagement.
Beyond that, 2026 must not feel like just another election cycle. It should be treated as a referendum on whether this NGC meant something real. Will voters see an ANC presence in their wards? Will councillors earn their seats through service, not patronage? Will crime-ridden streets start to feel safer because ordinary people have regained a say?
Why This Matters to Ordinary South Africans
For many, especially in townships across Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape, this debate might seem distant. Yet it hits home. When a party is alive in communities, people feel heard. Water gets fixed. Streetlights get replaced. Basic services return. Crime rates drop. Hopes renew. Without that connection, elections become hollow, and trust evaporates.
And right now, trust in politics is fragile. The last national elections saw the ANC’s vote share fall below 50 percent. Voter apathy, frustration with corruption, and disappointment over service delivery have all taken their toll. The NGC might be the moment when the ANC either proves it has learned or confirms to many it hasn’t.
A Call to Real Presence and Real Accountability
The challenge is simple. Not easy, but simple. The ANC must stop being just a machine that wakes up every five years. It must return, for real, to streets, wards, and community halls. It must let ordinary people decide who serves them. It must prove, again and again, that leadership is more than five-year electoral wins. It is a daily presence. It is accountability. It is a service.
Because if the branches die, then the movement dies. And with it, perhaps the faith many South Africans still cling to, that power belongs to the people.
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: EWN
