-
Former state and ANC President, Thabo Mbeki
Factionalism and careerism among members of the African National Congress (ANC) are the biggest threat to the party’s survival. This word of caution came from former state and party president, Thabo Mbeki, who called for a complete renewal of all party members, including re-application for membership and stricter vetting of leaders across all provinces.
He was speaking at the ANC Veterans League’s Political School in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro, where veterans presented proposals to strengthen the organisation and address internal party divisions.
WATCH | Former President Thabo Mbeki says the National Development Plan, which has been in place for years, is not a plan but a vision. He has been addressing delegates at the launch of the Eastern Cape Higher Education Sector National Dialogue, hosted by Nelson Mandela… pic.twitter.com/R8COdwYYiP
— SABC News (@SABCNews) November 1, 2025
A warning from one of the ANC’s most senior voices. Mbeki says there are anti-revolutionary forces within the party, and that it cannot solve the country’s challenges unless it renews itself and restores ethical leadership.
He says change must begin at the branch level. “Its positions in order to access resources and put them in their pockets- the factionalism is based on that and the obvious question that arises from that is, are these people ANC? They are not. You cannot be ANC, but your mission is to get power in order to enrich yourself,” says Mbeki.
The Veterans League’s Political School discussed the party’s declining electoral support, internal factionalism, and the quality of leadership within the party.
“Being in power is rapidly becoming a source of political bankruptcy in that numbers of the ANC fight for deployment, either as counsellors and MPs respectively, as if there is no tomorrow. It is foreign to our movement for comrades to see deployment as a source of material benefit rather than the reason to serve the people,” says ANC veteran, Thami Ntenteni.
The meeting also heard that regional instability in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro has been fuelled by leadership disputes.
“There was an evocation of whether we want to move forward with the organisation as it is and not yield positive results or whether we want to change. I think our general commitment was that all of us agreed to a pledge of renewal and in that renewal, it means that we will have to do away with factions because they are not political factions,” says ANC Regional Chairperson, Babalwa Lobishe.
The Veterans League proposed a national renewal programme that includes re-application for membership, stricter vetting of leaders, and expanded political education across all provinces.
RELATED VIDEO | Nelson Mandela University | Former President Thabo Mbeki delivers keynote address at NMU
