Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
4-minute read | 08 December 2025

Political analysts Roland Hanwood and Hlumelo Xaba weigh in on the ANC’s challenges and prospects for renewal at the 5th NGC. 📸 File Photo / South Africa Vibes

The ANC’s 5th National General Council (NGC) kicked off in Ekurhuleni today, a critical moment for a party trying to convince South Africans it can renew itself and regain trust after years of internal divisions, corruption scandals, and declining electoral support. Framed under the theme of renewal and the Freedom Charter’s promise that “the people shall govern,” the NGC aims to review progress since the 55th National Conference.

Political Analysts Roland Hanwood and Hlumelo Xaba joined Radio Islam International to unpack the challenges ahead. Hanwood said the NGC presents both an opportunity and a test for the party. “If one looks at the documentation released for this NGC, it externalizes a lot of the problems that the ANC faces. But the problem is, and the challenge it leaves, is that it does not address what is happening within and with the party. And that is where you need to make the hard changes, the hard choices, if you want to turn the fortunes of the ANC around,” he said.

Xaba highlighted the financial mismanagement that has compounded the party’s woes. “For it to actually be at a stage where it’s even being threatened, it just goes to show the caliber of leaders that are within the organization now, and also corroborates their inability, at times, to govern even municipalities,” he said, citing Luthuli House’s reported debts and donor withdrawals as evidence of broader administrative failures.

The panel also reflected on the ANC’s electoral decline. Hanwood noted, “It is unfortunately no longer going to be good enough to claim historical victories. People live in South Africa; they perceive a different reality. And if they don’t see that changing in a material way, we are not going to see the party move away from where it is.” Xaba added that corruption has become institutionalized within the party, complicating efforts to restore public confidence.

Looking ahead, Hanwood said, “No, I don’t think one can ever say that an organization with the history and achievements of the ANC cannot be saved. But it’s going to be a long-term, painstaking process, there will be a lot of pain that will be suffered by many people associated with the ANC.” Xaba echoed this sentiment, warning that the party is following a similar downward trajectory to other liberation movements in the region. “The ANC currently is also going on a downward spiral. However, it does have certain elements in it that can change it, young people in the ANC now, which I believe are more capable, have the capability and the academic and intellectual acumen to take their organisation forward,” he said.

The analysts concluded that while the ANC is gathering under the banner of renewal, its ability to reinvent itself and regain the trust of South Africans remains uncertain, making this NGC a pivotal moment for the party.

Listen to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim with Annisa Essack and Political Analysts Roland Hanwood and Hlumelo Xaba.