Bheki Mtolo. (File photo)
As the ANC contemplates disbanding its KwaZulu-Natal structures over the party’s dismal performance during the May 29 elections, branches in the province and the youth league have again called for provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo to face the chop.
They have asked Luthuli House to remove Mtolo over “unbecoming behaviour” which they say has soured relations with alliance partners and key provincial institutions.
Last week youth league provincial task team leader Lulama Mabunda wrote to ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula asking the party to remove Mtolo from his position over his actions, which they argue is part of the reason the party lost the province.
“Over recent months, there have been growing concerns within the rank and file regarding the leadership style and conduct of Cde Mtolo. His actions and decisions have increasingly caused division and discontent among members, particularly in critical regions such as eThekwini,” Mabunda wrote in the letter, a copy of which the Mail & Guardian has seen.
“As the youth league, we have observed instances of leadership that seem to run contrary to the core values of the ANC, including transparency, inclusivity and accountability.”
KwaZulu-Natal had been the ANC’s biggest province in terms of membership numbers since 2009 . It was also the province most affected by the emergence of the uMkhonto weSizwe(MK) party, as the ANC’s support dropped from 54.22% in 2019 to 16.99% in May.
The MK party, contesting its first elections, won 45.35% of the provincial vote.
A Paternoster Group study indicates that, in 2021, the ANC received 5.25 million votes, more than two million of them coming from KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. This translates to 37.7% of the ANC’s national vote.
In 2019, the ANC received a little over 10 million votes, of which 4.44 million came from Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the equivalent of 44.3% of the voter share — in stark contrast with this year’s election failure.
The party lost multiple municipalities to the Inkatha Freedom Party after the 2021 local government elections and has lost several wards to the MK party since the May elections, as voters expressed their frustration over issues like service delivery failures, corruption and internal factionalism.
Mtolo has been a controversial figure, accused by some in the party of alienating key constituencies and failing to unite the province ahead of crucial elections.
Last week he had to apologise to the ANC’s alliance partner, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union, for accusing its members of contributing to service delivery failures.
The fallout led to a R2 million defamation lawsuit against Mtolo and the ANC, which was withdrawn after his public apology.
Mtolo’s detractors, including the youth league, believe his leadership is incompatible with the party’s goals in KwaZulu-Natal, especially in the face of growing competition from the MK party.
“While we respect the democratic processes that elected Cde Mtolo to his current position, we believe that his continued presence as provincial secretary risks further division and could erode the gains we are trying to make in uniting the province and regaining our support base,” the letter reads.
“There is currently no unity within the PEC [provincial executive committee] and we all know Mtolo is the main problem. He stands between us and the ability to clinch victory in the ongoing by-elections and local government,” they said.
The letter to Mbalula is part of a broader effort that has been supported by many branches and alliance partners to bring about change in the province.
Many in the ANC believe that neither Mtolo nor chairperson Siboniso Duma have the ability to steer the party through this difficult period and that a new leadership is necessary to revitalise the party and reverse its electoral decline.
But, during the party’s two-day national working committee (NWC) visit in Durban last month, Mbalula downplayed talks of disbanding the party’s structures in KwaZulu-Natal.
“I can’t comment on that at the present moment. From where I was deployed in eThekwini, something like that did not arise from the structures on the ground. The preoccupation here is how we lost and what needs to be done in the province. I cannot comment about disbandment as disbandment is not the preoccupation of our visit,” he said.
Mbalula said while some wished for the disbanding, the party had advised against it.
“You don’t build by disbanding. There are important things that need to be done to strengthen this province. First, with a proper understanding and a diagnosis of what actually happened in this province from the point of view of the elections. Why we lost so many people, why people did not come out and vote in their numbers [for the ANC].”
This week ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli told the M&G that a possible disbandment had not been decided upon yet.
“These discussions are still at an early stage. Anyone speculating about the dissolution of structures is moving ahead of the discussions. We are still in the process of reflecting on these issues, and the final outcomes will depend on our assessment and engagement with the ANC’s structures and broader society,” Ntuli said.
He could not be drawn to answer on Mtolo’s position, but said although the party had not yet discussed the disbandment of structures, they would focus on increasing the support base which had seen a decline caused by loss of credibility in leaders.
Ntuli said the party would select “quality” leaders who will bring unity to represent them ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
He explained that the PEC was partly to blame for the decline in support because of its failure to address high levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality — especially unemployment.
He added that the inability of municipalities, provincial government structures and national bodies to effectively address service delivery problems has been a significant factor contributing to the ANC’s declining support.
“The public is concerned with whether the chosen candidates have what it takes to enjoy their support. If we address these concerns and improve on critical issues like unemployment, the economy and service delivery, people may begin to focus on what the ANC is doing for them, rather than what the government of national unity is doing,” he said.
A member of the PEC said they expected disbandment to take place by the end of the month.
“The NWC visit concluded that the organisation is dead in KwaZulu-Natal and that we must start it afresh,” the PEC member said. “The NEC [national executive committee] must define what the means are to achieve that objective.”