Overview
- Delegates are meeting 8–11 December in Boksburg for the ANC’s 5th National General Council, a mid‑term review focused on organisational performance and policy.
- Mbalula’s mid‑term report cites entrenched patronage, weakened branches, money politics and a widening gap with communities, calling renewal an existential imperative.
- The plan for 2026 includes a four‑phase programme to rebuild structures, deploy full‑time coordinators, train over 200,000 volunteers, audit branches and register 4.5 million first‑time voters.
- Leadership succession is explicitly off the agenda, with Paul Mashatile saying President Cyril Ramaphosa serves his term to 2027 as the party dismisses plot reports and probes their origin.
- Debate over the Government of National Unity is central, with Mbalula calling it a tactical necessity despite strains, as staff picketed outside over delayed pay and suspended benefits while Ramaphosa urged discipline and humility.