As part of the African National Congress (ANC) renewal and rebuilding programme, ANC KwaZulu-Natal coordinator James Nxumalo is addressing the community of Ward 4 in Intshanga in the eThekwini region.
The gathering includes ANC branch members and South African Communist Party (SACP) members in an area long regarded as an ANC stronghold with a high concentration of SACP supporters. Nxumalo, a former eThekwini mayor who also serves in SACP leadership, hails from this community.
Provincial ANC spokesperson Sifiso Sonjica said the meeting is part of an ongoing provincial programme focused on leaders reconnecting with their own branches and communities first.
“This is an ongoing ANC programme,” Sifiso Sonjica said. “James Nxumalo, who is the coordinator of the ANC in the province, this is his home, this is his ward… Leaders in the first instance, they belong to a branch. All of us, we belong to our branches.”
He stressed that all Provincial Task Team (PTT) members are expected to return to their branches ahead of engaging other communities. The programme aims to strengthen structures and plan for the local government elections on 4 November.
Sonjica acknowledged the area’s troubled history, noting that in 2016, rifts between the ANC and SACP in Intshanga resulted in violence and loss of life. While the branch is now united, challenges remain. He said Nxumalo is leading by example by engaging his own community.
With tensions persisting due to the SACP’s decision to contest the elections independently, Sonjica made it clear that the ANC has moved on from that discussion.
“We are focusing full speed on the ANC campaign. We are not now discussing whether the SACP is standing or not. We know they are contesting now. So our focus is convincing people why they should vote for the ANC,” he said.
eThekwini remains the focal point of the ANC’s provincial campaign. The party intends to defend and grow its support in the province’s only metro by addressing service delivery issues such as water and electricity while engaging communities directly on challenges.
On the threat posed by the uMkhonto weSizwe (MKP) Party, whose supporters were seen in the area, Sonjica said the ANC is applying lessons from the 2024 general elections. Some former members who left are returning, and the party is prioritising a community-driven candidate selection process to prevent the imposition of candidates.
“Our winning of these elections is going to be how we manage that process very well so that communities are able to choose their own people,” he said.
The meeting forms part of the ANC’s broader strategy of direct community engagement to rebuild and consolidate support ahead of the November local government elections.