Deputy President Paul Mashatile. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile told party members that it was time for them to admit that the liberation movement had failed to improve the lives of South Africans and to take accountability.
Mashatile, however, said it was important for the party to correct past mistakes.
“As we approach the 2026 local government elections, the point of departure, comrades, is that as the ANC, we have not done enough to improve the lives of South Africans; we must take accountability for this,” he said.
“But most importantly, we must have strategies on how we correct the mistakes and then things improve for the better. It is very important, comrades, that we look where there have been problems in the past where things didn’t go well, and then we fix that.”
Mashatile made the remarks while speaking to party members in Ekurhuleni on Monday during the Oliver Reginald Tambo memorial lecture.
The ANC has been accused of corruption, cadre deployment instead of deploying qualified people into positions of power, and doing nothing to ensure that the majority of South Africans enjoy the fruits of democracy.
Party officials, including councillors, premiers, ministers, and its former president, Jacob Zuma, have been accused of capturing the state in a bid to benefit themselves, friends, and their families in the Zondo Commission.
Mashatile himself has been accused of corruption while serving as the country’s deputy president.
For the first time in last year’s elections, the party did not attain the 50+1 % to govern the country outright and was forced to form a coalition with other parties to hold on to power.
It is also anticipated that the ANC would continue its decline in next year’s elections.
On Monday, Mashatile said that if the ANC does not accept that it has had challenges before, it would not be able to self-correct to serve the communities that elected it.
“We need to introspect and say maybe here, we deployed the wrong councillor or maybe we did not put the right mayor or a right minister, then we fix those things. Our people expect that from us that we will correct the mistakes,” he said.
Mashatile said it was important for ANC members to understand the people’s needs.
“In our communities, there are challenges of poverty, unemployment, inequality, and the big question is whether members and leaders understand that. When you are a servant, you need to understand what you have been sent to do, and that’s very important.”
Mashatile also encouraged ANC leaders in municipalities to establish war rooms where officials would report, be held accountable, and be monitored, and where those who cannot meet the standards would face the music.
“People can not do as they please; that time has passed, people must say when they can’t do the job, so we can put others.”
The ANC says it remains committed to renewal and rebuilding itself, saying one of the things to ensure renewal is to take members through the party’s newly formed political school.
ANC members are now forced to attend a foundation course of the party to be full members.
“There are a lot of people who came into the ANC without knowing it, but they love it, but when we don’t teach them, they will do wrong things,” he said.
“The process of renewal includes teaching those who come in the ways of the ANC. It is important that we continue to rebuild and renew for the ANC to be strong.’’