ANC Closes Ranks Around Ramaphosa As Party Responds To Calls For His Resignation After Election Loss

The African National Congress (ANC) has publicly defended President Cyril Ramaphosa following the party’s disappointing performance in the 2026 local government elections, dismissing reports that he has offered to step down as head of state. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu insisted that Ramaphosa had no intention of leaving office, maintaining that the party’s leadership had not placed any pressure on him to resign despite the growing criticism surrounding the election results.

Bhengu addressed the matter while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a special National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg on Thursday. She dismissed reports suggesting that Ramaphosa had offered to resign, urging South Africans not to believe the claims circulating about his political future.

According to Bhengu, the ANC leadership remained behind the president, and there had been no discussions within the party’s leadership collective calling for him to vacate his position.

She also defended Ramaphosa’s role during the election campaign, arguing that he had demonstrated commitment by travelling across the country and leading the ANC’s efforts to win support from voters. Bhengu maintained that the president had performed his campaign responsibilities effectively and should not be expected to resign because of the party’s poor electoral showing.

The special NEC meeting was convened four days after the Electoral Commission of South Africa announced the final election results, which confirmed another significant decline in the ANC’s electoral support. The ruling party received 30.76% of the national municipal vote, compared with 45.59% recorded during the 2021 local government elections. This represented a decline of 14.83 percentage points, placing renewed attention on Ramaphosa’s leadership and the party’s future.

Former ANC president Thabo Mbeki has also weighed in on the controversy, suggesting that Ramaphosa would be making the right decision if reports of his resignation offer were accurate. Mbeki argued that stepping aside would be a normal response in a democratic system when a political leader presides over such a disappointing electoral outcome.

However, Bhengu’s latest remarks indicate that the current ANC leadership is not prepared to push Ramaphosa towards the exit despite the criticism surrounding the party’s performance. Meanwhile, the ANC spokesperson also addressed the possibility of coalition arrangements in municipalities where political parties failed to secure enough votes to govern independently.

Bhengu disclosed that several political parties had approached the ANC regarding potential power-sharing agreements, although she clarified that the ruling party had not initiated any coalition discussions.

She maintained that the ANC had sufficient experience in local government and possessed policies and programmes that could guide service delivery across municipalities.

According to her, the challenges facing ANC-led municipalities were not necessarily caused by a shortage of policies or knowledge but by other failures that the party needed to examine and address. Bhengu added that the party was prepared to learn from its poor performance and carefully consider the concerns raised by voters. She further explained that the ANC would not apply a uniform strategy when entering coalition arrangements, insisting that every municipality would be assessed according to its individual political circumstances.

She specifically mentioned Johannesburg and eThekwini as examples of municipalities that would require different considerations when determining possible coalition partnerships.

The ANC’s position suggests that while the party is prepared to negotiate with other political formations, it intends to approach each municipality separately rather than adopt one general agreement for the entire country.

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