anclatest news & developments
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa interacted with eThekwini residents during election campaigning at the weekend.
ANC

ANC seeks to regain eThekwini support as MK Party faces list dispute

An analyst suggests that the list dispute in MK Party could help the ANC recover support in eThekwini.

  • Willem Phungula
3 min read
NFP says Speaker Nontembeko Boyce is delaying the replacement of expelled MPL Mbali Shinga.
THAMSANQA NTULI

Row deepens between NFP and KZN Speaker over party's Legislature seat

The NFP has challenged the KZN Speaker’s decision to delay Ivan Barnes’s swearing-in amid an appeal by expelled MPL Mbali Shinga.

  • Willem Phungula
5 min read
The ANC's list crisis particularly in the Eastern Cape may benefit its alliance partner, the SACP and the UDM according to political analysts.
ANC

LGE 2026: ANC list failures set to boost SACP and UDM in Eastern Cape

The ANC’s failure to submit candidate lists in several Eastern Cape municipalities could reshape the local-election contest.

  • Willem Phungula
4 min read
A forecasting model developed by former Statistician-General Pali Lehohla projects a sharp decline in ANC support ahead of South Africa’s 2026 local government elections, but the assumptions, data and methodology behind the forecast require fuller disclosure.
ANC

Lehohla model forecasts sharp ANC decline ahead of 2026 local elections

A forecasting model developed by former Statistician-General Pali Lehohla projects a sharp decline in ANC support ahead of South Africa’s 2026 local government elections, but the…

  • Dr Pali Lehohla
8 min read
Delegates at Cosatu's 15th National Congress. The conference collapsed after a quorum dispute linked to delegate credentials.
COSATU CONGRESS

Cosatu succession war: Why the historic Congress collapse matters

Cosatu’s 15th national congress collapse exposes leadership divisions and renewed tensions within the ANC-SACP alliance.

  • Rapula Moatshe
5 min read
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has been served with a lawyer's letter over alleged false and defamatory comments made about the party's Eastern Cape provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi.
2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

ANC list feud: EC secretary demands Mbalula retract alleged defamatory claims

Eastern Cape ANC leader Lulama Ngcukaytobi is threatening legal action against party secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.

  • Kamini Padayachee
3 min read
Cosatu's 15th national congress collapsed before delegates could deliberate on workers' worsening conditions, amid claims that ANC and SACP factional battles had infiltrated the gathering to influence its leadership outcome ahead of the November municipal elections.
COSATU CONGRESS

Cosatu congress collapses amid political alliance factional battle

What we know about the collapse of Cosatu's 15th national congress.

  • Rapula Moatshe
5 min read
Air pollution in South Africa is particularly high in the Highveld Priority Area, a highly industrialised region that includes 12 of Eskom’s coal-fired power stations, as well as metal smelters and chemical factories.
SASOLUS

Clean air is a constitutional right, but Highveld communities still face pollution

Despite repeated government commitments and new calls for cleaner industry, Highveld communities continue to face serious air pollution, health risks and weak enforcement.

  • Edward West
5 min read
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula speaks during a media briefing on Tuesday. The party has filed an appeal in the Electoral Court concerning candidates that the IEC says were captured on its online system before the deadline but were not formally submitted.
2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

LGE 2026: ANC Electoral Court case targets IEC candidate submission rules

The ANC says candidate information captured on the IEC’s system before the deadline should count as submitted, despite the absence of a final-submission status.

  • Wendy Jasson Da Costa
6 min read
ANC supporters at the party’s local government elections manifesto launch. The ANC is facing a host of challenges ahead of the November 4 local government election.
2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

LGE 2026: How ANC's internal chaos threatens the party's election prospects

The ANC enters South Africa’s 4 November 2026 local government elections under pressure after candidate-list disputes and internal legal battles.

  • Wendy Jasson Da Costa
  • Willem Phungula
5 min read
Cosatu general secretary Solly Phetoe outlines the federation’s case for a living wage, stronger public services and further economic support ahead of its 15th National Congress.
LIVING WAGE

Cosatu to make living wage central to 15th National Congress

Cosatu general secretary Solly Phetoe outlines the federation’s case for a living wage, stronger public services and further economic support ahead of its 15th National Congress.

  • Solly Phetoe
6 min read
Nominations list issues: An ANC or an IEC problem?
2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

ANC and IEC clash over candidate nominations may head to Electoral Court

A disputed technical glitch has left hundreds of ANC candidates off nomination lists, with the IEC rejecting claims that its system failed.

  • Wendy Jasson Da Costa
5 min read
IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa said the party will field more councillor candidates in this year's election compared to the 2021 election.
IFP

LGE 2026: IFP expands footprint beyond KZN, targets national growth

The IFP says its strongest-ever showing outside KwaZulu-Natal signals a decisive break with its image as a regional party.

  • Willem Phungula
3 min read
UMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) president Jacob Zuma arriving at a hotel in uMhlanga on Friday for the party's media briefing.
ANC

MKP banks on Zuma's popularity over high-profile mayor candidates

The MK Party has named former Midvaal mayor Bongani Baloyi as its Johannesburg mayoral candidate and announced candidates for five other major metros.

  • Willem Phungula
3 min read
ANC veteran Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said she doubted the party's ability to win eThekwini Municipality in the November election.
DLAMINI ZUMA

LGE 26: Dlamini Zuma says ANC faces tough task convincing eThekwini voters

ANC veteran Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma says the party faces a difficult task retaining eThekwini and winning back Cape Town.

  • Willem Phungula
2 min read
The City of Johannesburg's municipal council has been fraught with instability due to divisions between parties in coalition governments.
COALITION POLITICS

LGE 2026: Warning over power-sharing deals placing stability ahead of good governance

Political analyst Professor Mus Xulu cautions against blanket coalition agreements ahead of local government elections, emphasising the need for accountability and measures…

  • Willem Phungula
2 min read
The ANC national leadership has reinstated the Eastern Cape provincial executive committee which was disbanded few months ago.
FIKILE MBALULA

ANC reinstates Eastern Cape PEC ahead of polls: too little, too late?

Analysts question whether the move can win back voters before November.

  • Willem Phungula
3 min read
South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) general secretary Mugwena Maluleke has confirmed that the trade union will support the ANC in the November local government elections.
SACP

Sadtu resolves to back ANC in November polls

Sadtu's recent decision to support the ANC over the SACP has sparked controversy within the labour movement, raising questions about the future of Cosatu and the ideological…

  • Willem Phungula
3 min read