'Fikile Mbalula: "We Are Not Happy About Our Performance in KZN"
- ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula criticised the ANC’s KZN leadership, saying the structure had failed to meet expectations, and announced plans for an overhaul
- Expressing his disappointment, described the provincial structure’s performance as that of a 'Tazz' when it was meant to be a 'Ferrari'
- Mbalula blamed internal infighting for weakening the organisation and announced plans to overhaul the provincial leadership
Source: Getty Images
During an NEC meeting on 10 December 2025, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula expressed deep disappointment with the performance of the KZN leadership.
According to IOL, Mbalula said the NEC had lost confidence in the KZN structure, referring to the ANC’s bruising defeat in the 2024 elections.
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"We thought we were bringing a Ferrari, but now I think it is a Tazz operating there." We have not been doing well," he said.
Mbalula also took aim at internal factional battles within the province, blaming constant infighting for overshadowing organisational work.
“They are fighting over positions, not the mandate we gave them. What do we do with such people? We put them aside,” he declared.
He announced that sweeping changes would soon be implemented to correct course.
“I can assure you there are going to be changes in KZN. That structure is too big, and we are going to make it leaner and bring in new people,” he said.
Mbalula Worried About ANC’s Decline in KZN and Gauteng
Mbalula has previously voiced concern about the party’s declining support in both KZN and Gauteng, once strongholds for the ANC. He drew on the example of the Western Cape, where the party lost power in 2009.
“As you know, we are challenged… We don’t want what happened in the Western Cape to follow us to these two provinces,” he warned ahead of the NEC meeting, where both provinces were set to be discussed.
In the 2024 elections, the ANC’s support plummeted to 17% in KZN and 34% in Gauteng, signalling its steepest decline yet.
Source: Getty Images
2 Briefly News articles on Mbalula and ANC Renewal
Briefly News previously reported that Fikile Mbalula responded to ANC stalwart Naledi Pandor’s criticism of the party’s leadership. Speaking at the Gertrude Shope Memorial Lecture on 24 August 2025, Pandor said the ANC had “lost its former glory” and urged members to stop pretending otherwise.
Mbalula agreed with Pandor, saying the party needed a new generation committed to renewal. He added that Pandor had merely reinforced long-standing ANC principles regarding the moral values expected of its members.
In another report, Mbalula acknowledged the severe impact of corruption on the ANC’s public image. Speaking at the Mpumalanga Provincial General Council on 18 October 2025, he admitted the party must adopt a stronger stance against corruption and conceded that not every member of the ANC was “clean.”He further said that ANC members must learn from their mistakes so as to not repeat them.
South Africans reacted to his remarks with little surprise, saying the admission confirmed what many already believed.
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Source: Briefly News
