ANC's 5th NGC: A Line in the Sand – Governance, Elections, Communications and the Battle for Meaning

South Africa will not judge the ANC by what we resolve at the NGC. It will judge us by how we govern, how we communicate, how we campaign and most importantly what we do and not do.If the economy is the backbone of renewal (Part 6) and the Alliance is the compass (Part 7), then governance and communication are the muscles that allow the movement to act.

We now operate in an environment where:

• municipal collapse has become normalised,
• Parliament’s authority has been eroded,
• digital disinformation outpaces our messaging,
• coalitions are unstable,
• trust in political leadership is at historic lows, and
• the 2026 local elections will be a referendum on whether the ANC can still govern.

This NGC must produce a governance and communications doctrine, not a slogan. Renewal without operational capability is theatre. Renewal without narrative is defeat.

1. Elections 2026: The Stress Test of Renewal

The Elections Commission is correct: 2026 will be the single most important local election in democratic South Africa. It will measure whether renewal is real or rhetorical. Three pillars define a winning strategy:

A. Delivery is the Campaign.

Voters are no longer moved by posters, rallies, or speeches.

They ask one question: Did the ANC fix what is broken where I live? Campaigning begins with:

• unblocking water and electricity faults, basic services, affordability
• restoring basic maintenance in wards,
• visible councillor presence,
• War Rooms tracking weekly delivery,
• community WhatsApp “rapid response” groups.

In short: Development, Delivery and Dignity.

B. Candidate Quality is Non-Negotiable.

The days of factional deployment are gone. We need candidates who are:

• competent,
• ethical,
• visible in communities,
• able to resolve municipal complaints, and
• trained in governance fundamentals.

A councillor must be a public servant, not a branch reward.

C. Digital Organising and Data.

The 2026 election will be fought on:

• precinct-level data,
• voter segmentation,
• targeted messaging,
• precinct captains trained in digital tools,
• narrative amplification through WhatsApp, TikTok, Facebook and community radio.

The Right is already doing this. If we do not adapt, we will lose.

2. Governance: Restoring Oversight, Discipline and Delivery

South Africa does not lack laws. It lacks execution. It lacks the political courage to insist on competence.

A. Parliament and Legislatures Must Become Engines of Oversight.

Members cannot be spectators. Oversight is not betrayal; it is loyalty to the Constitution and to the people. This requires:

• empowered committees that enforce deadlines,
• SCOPA with teeth to demand recovery plans,
• PMG-style public transparency in real time,
• ANC caucuses that operate as oversight caucuses, not protective shields.

A renewal movement must welcome accountability.

B. Coalition Discipline in the GNU Era.

Coalitions fail because parties campaign in public against each other. We need a Coalition Code of Conduct that binds all ANC deployees to:

• collective decision making,
• non-negotiable policy lines,
• public unity and internal debate,
• consequences for rogue statements.

Coalitions demand maturity. They also demand clarity on the ANC’s core strategic line: justice, development and capable governance.

C. End Cadre Confusion.

Cadre deployment is not the problem. Wrong cadre deployment is the problem. We must professionalise political appointments and deployed our very best who are committed to serve and solve our people problems. It must include:

• competency testing for all senior deployments,
• fixed performance contracts,
• annual public scorecards,
• removal/recall of non-performers without factional drama.

“The people must see that the ANC can remove its own failures.”

3. Local Government: The Heart of the Crisis

Every AG report tells the same story:municipal collapse is not an event, it is a system. The NGC must adopt a Municipal Governance Framework that includes:

A. Performance Contracts for Councillors and Officials.

If a councillor does not:

• hold monthly community meetings,
• track service requests,
• attend committees,
• table oversight reports, then they cannot stand again.

B. Municipal Service Dashboards. 

Accessible to communities, showing:

• faults logged,
• faults resolved,
• turnaround times,
• contractor performance,
• expenditure tracking.

Transparency is the best disinfectant against corruption and incompetence.

C. Ward Committees Must Become Functional.

Ward committees today are passive. They must be rebuilt as:

• crisis-response bodies,
• participatory budgeting platforms,
• community safety partners,
• watchdogs over local procurement.

A municipality is not transformed from a council chamber; it is transformed from a ward.

4. Communications and the Battle for Meaning

The ANC is losing the narrative because it is playing a 20th century game in a 21st century battlefield.

A. The Right is Winning the Emotional War.

Reactionary forces use:

• fear,
• crime narratives,
• economic panic,
• racial grievance,
• misinformation,
• humour and memes.

We respond with:

• policy speeches,
• nostalgia,
• defensive messaging,
• committees.

This is why we lose the battle of meaning.

B. Build a Communications Operations Room.

Professional, permanent, data-driven, rapid.

Functions:

• fact-checking and myth-busting,
• sentiment analysis,
• influencer partnerships,
• 24/7 response unit,
• content studios for audio, video, graphics,
• daily messaging briefs for caucuses and deployees.

Narrative is infrastructure. If we do not build it, our opponents will shape reality.

C. ICT and AI as Political Tools.

ICT is not an add-on. It is the spine of modern politics. We must invest in:

• data analytics teams,
• AI-driven misinformation monitoring,
• cyber security for elections,
• digital literacy for branches,
• community tech ambassadors.

“Elections are now fought as much in the cloud as on the ground.”

5. Policy, Monitoring and Integrity: Turning Resolutions into Delivery

The movement collapses when resolutions become political décor instead of political instruments.

A. Policy Must Have a Delivery Contract.

Every resolution must include:

• who implements,
• by when,
• with which resources,
• how measured,
• reported to which structure

B. Strengthen M&E Across the Movement.

Deployees at all levels must file quarterly reports.

Caucuses must review them.

Integrity bodies must intervene early.

C. Internal Ethics: Drawing the Hard Line.

The fight against corruption must move beyond prosecutions to internal discipline:

• lifestyle audits for all deployees
• mandatory financial disclosures
• community hearings for serious allegations
• zero protection for corrupt comradesIf we do not police ourselves, the electorate will.

6. Finance, Resource Mobilisation and Operational Sustainability

A political movement without resources becomes dependent, compromised and manipulated. The ANC must adopt a clean, transparent funding model premised on:

• mass membership contributions,
• small-dollar digital fundraising,
• training programmes as revenue generators,
• ethical donor partnerships,
• a ban on suspect funders and middlemen.

“A broke movement is a captured movement.”

7. Peace, Security and Election Protection

Beyond mafia networks covered earlier, this section focuses on the state’s protective capability. Priorities include:

• cyber security for voting systems,
• intelligence monitoring of foreign interference,
• community peace committees,
• anti-intimidation rapid response teams,
• police training in electoral security.

Democracy must be defended, not assumed.

REMEMBER:

• “If we lose the battle of ideas, we will lose the battle of ballots.”
• “Oversight is not betrayal; it is loyalty to the people.”
• “A broke movement becomes an easy target for dirty money.”
• “Narrative is power. Disinformation is a weapon. Political communications is a frontline.”
• “Governance is the daily referendum on whether the ANC deserves another chance.”

Conclusion:

Governance is not paperwork. It is the lived experience of electricity, water, safety and dignity. Communications is not messaging. It is meaning. Elections are not events. They are verdicts.

If the ANC wants renewal to be believed, it must govern with discipline, communicate with clarity, and campaign with purpose.

This is the apparatus that carries the National Development Mission from resolutions to reality.

* Faiez Jacobs is a former  Member of Parliament, founder of The Transcendence Group, Capetonian, Activist, and Servant of the People.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.