Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read | 05 December 2025

📷 Political power plays intensify as South Africa navigates ANC reforms, global pressure from Washington, and Cape Town’s push for rail devolution amid a shifting coalition era.

After months of political unease and renewed scrutiny of South Africa’s governance structures, this week’s ASRI Report unpacks the battle for power within the ANC, the tightening grip of global geopolitical tensions on Pretoria, and the complex tug-of-war over devolving rail and policing functions to the Western Cape.

The ANC in Gauteng is lobbying to scrap the longstanding delegate system in favour of a one-member, one-vote model ahead of the 2026 local elections. Policy and Governance Analyst Fazlin Fransman Taliep describes the shift as nothing short of a battle for power and control over patronage networks. She explains that moving from thousands of branch delegates to hundreds of thousands of ordinary members profoundly reshapes internal democracy. But the reform carries major implications: “Reaching more people requires resources. It opens the ANC up to more outside donations into an internal process.” At stake is the future character of ANC leadership and whether the party can withstand deeper factional fractures as money, influence and grassroots mobilisation collide.

Parliament has adopted new rules to establish South Africa’s first dedicated oversight committee over the Presidency, directly responding to the Zondo Commission’s warnings about a strong presidency and weak oversight. On paper, Taliep says, this is a historic reform. But in practice, its impact depends entirely on politics. “The committee is only as strong as the politics around it,” she cautions, pointing to risks such as party loyalty overriding accountability, PR list deployment limiting independence, and committees becoming procedural rubber stamps rather than institutions empowered to subpoena documents, call witnesses, and hold presidents to account. With the GNU shaping parliamentary dynamics, political self-preservation may overshadow constitutional duty.

South Africa’s global standing is also under strain. Pretoria has been excluded from the first G20 Sherpa meeting under Donald Trump’s presidency, signalling Washington’s hardening posture. With AGOA uncertainty and new tariffs already straining relations, Taliep warns that the fallout is rooted largely in US domestic politics. She highlights how Trump’s base is influenced by two powerful lobbying narratives: the “white genocide” conspiracy advanced by South African right-wing groups, and pro-Israel networks portraying Pretoria as sympathetic to terrorism due to its Gaza position. Taliep stresses the danger: “These lobby groups are trashing our country and making it difficult for South Africa to engage internationally.” The impact, she notes, will not be abstract; ordinary South Africans may soon feel the economic consequences of restricted access to US markets.

Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town’s newly approved rail devolution plan has ignited fresh political tension. While the city hopes to integrate rail and bus systems into a seamless, internationally aligned model, rail remains a national competency under PRASA, meaning implementation requires ANC approval. Taliep lays out the political stakes plainly: “If the City of Cape Town succeeds, it will signal the ANC failed where the DA succeeded.” Granting the DA-run metro rail authority risks handing it a significant public victory ahead of crucial electoral shifts. More critically, once the rail is devolved, the conversation naturally moves to devolving policing, a far more contentious political demand long championed by the DA in the Western Cape.

As South Africa moves deeper into an era of coalition politics, Taliep notes that the lines between who governs and who opposes are blurring rapidly. Unless the electoral map shifts dramatically, she expects these battles over functional powers to become more frequent and consequential. South Africa stands at a pivotal moment: internal ANC reforms, strained geopolitical alliances, and high-stakes decentralisation debates are collectively reshaping the political terrain in ways the country has never experienced before.

Listen to the full ASRI Report on Sabahul Muslim with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and Fazlin Fransman Taliep.