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Panyaza Lesufi addressing the Gauteng Provincial Lekgotla session
The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng has entered a critical moment of introspection as its Provincial Lekgotla gets underway in Fourways, north of Johannesburg.
The two-day gathering aims to respond to governance challenges raised in the 2025 State of the Province Address, prepare for next year’s local government elections, and rebuild public trust.
It comes after the disbandment of the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC), which was replaced by the Provincial Task Team (PTT).
The lekgotla comes at a time when the ANC is facing pressure to perform well in next year’s local government elections, amidst service delivery concerns.
After losing its majority in the 2024 elections, support for the governing party dropped to just 34.8% – its lowest ever.
Provincial Task Team Convener, Amos Masondo, opened the session with a stark warning, saying the party’s existential crisis will continue if it fails to strengthen structures from the ground up.
“The organisation must live to the ground, if it doesn’t, it will simply disappear into thin air, become irrelevant. One of the reasons why we have a PTT is the fact that the ANC is facing an existential crisis, with the question of a dying organisation being a real threat – that needs to be attended to as a matter of urgency.”
The Gauteng Provincial Lekgotla is in session. It is held under the theme: “The Year of Renewal – Making the ANC a More Effective Instrument of the People to Achieve the Vision of the Freedom Charter.”
Key Objectives of the Lekgotla are to :
● Deliberate on the challenges… pic.twitter.com/ETMa0LQDtz
— Gauteng ANC (@GautengANC) May 3, 2025
The Lekgotla is expected to develop a programme of action to strengthen party structures at the local and provincial levels, improve governance, and reclaim public trust.
The party has acknowledged that grassroots structures are weak and disconnected, with the movement losing its influence at the local level.
But Co-convener, Panyaza Lesufi insists it is not all doom and gloom.
“Our people didn’t abandon us, our people chose a faction of the ANC and chose that faction. Our people didn’t vote for the imperialist, our people didn’t vote for the Democratic Alliance. Our people voted for political parties that were part of us at one stage or another and another political party that was led by our former president of the ANC.”
“So, we are still within the right cause. Our approach is to consolidate and clarify that it’s not Zuma’s party that can deliver the liberation that we need.”
All eyes are now on the task team to see whether they can save the party from further political decline.
