Chairperson of the session:
Chaplaincy:
Comrade Deon de Vos, RTT convenor and entire RTT
NEC and PEC members
Branch Delegates,
Alliance Partners, Religious and Traditional Leaders
Comrades and friends:
I stand before you conscious that this 9th regional conference of your region, Sarah Baartman represents far more than a formal conference. It is a convergence of generations, experiences, and sacrifices that have shaped our movement in this region.
“Uxolo nothandomalumanye I ANC”
To every delegate who has journeyed here, to every branch representative who speaks for our people, to our veterans who remind us of where we come from, to our youth who point us to where we must go, to our women whose leadership anchors us, and to every cadre who remains steadfast in the trenches of struggle, Iextend our warmest and most fraternal solidarity. Your presence here today is a living testament to your loyalty to the ANC and to the mission that still lies before us.
Your presence here today does not arise from chance; it flows from your enduring dedication to the African National Congress and the historic tasks that lie before us.
Let me begin by expressing, on behalf of the Provincial Executive Committee, our profound appreciation to the Regional Leadership of Sarah Baartman for the immense work they have undertaken to organise this conference.
Comrades, we are fully aware that regional conferences do not happen by accident. They require discipline, sacrifice, organisational maturity, and political patience and tolerance as some few elements are hell bent in damaging reputation of the ANC. But You cdes here, have demonstrated revolutionary and patriotic qualities.
We also recognise that this conference has not been without its organisational and logistical challenges. However, you have confronted and overcome these difficulties in a manner befitting a revolutionary movement. For this, you deserve our commendation.
I am pleased to report, Comrades, that SGO has issued certificate for the conference, the processes are proceeding very well, all teething challenges will be attended to by Steering committee and the conference itself. We want political maturity of our structures and the discipline of our cadres.
Comrades, this Regional Conference must be more than a procedural gathering. It must be a political school, a moment of deep reflection and honest assessment. We must take a sober, scientific, and critical look at our organisation and its performance inside and outsidegovernment.
Comrades, this Regional Conference must not be reduced to a mere contest for leadership. It must, above all, be a moment of critical appraisal of our organisation. It must be a space where we align the programmes of this Region with the national and provincial priorities of the African National Congress.
This conference takes place immediately after the ANC Lekgotla. Those among us who attended that Lekgotla know precisely what the marching orders are. We must therefore use this conference to internalise, transmit, and give practical expression to those resolutions in the life of this Region.
Comrades, our immediate and urgent task as delegates is to confront both the objective and subjective weaknesses of the ANC in this Region.
We must reflect honestly on the state of our organisation, not in a factional or acrimonious manner, but in a sober, principled, and objective way that strengthens the movement rather than divides it.
We have been observing a troubling picture. It indicates that some members of the ANC are leaving the movement because of factionalism and dissatisfaction with the conduct of certain councillors. This is a serious political matter. A movement that alienates its own members cannot credibly expect to command the confidence of communities.
Communities further report that some councillors do not hold regular public meetings, fail to engage stakeholders on development, and in certain instances adopt divisive leadership styles that fracture rather than unite. This signals a gradual weakening of the ANC’s traditional culture of mass engagement, accountability, and collective leadership.
Among young people, there is a growing sense of exclusion. Many feel marginalised from ward committee elections and voter registration processes. Information is often circulated within narrow spaces such as churches, while other critical community platforms, including shebeens, sports fields, and youth gatherings, are neglected. This has created a widening generational distance between the ANC and its youth base.
Factionalism remains the most corrosive subjective weakness in this in the anc. It manifests in ANC members being openly divided in the presence of opposition parties, internal conflicts distorting candidate selection processes, the exclusion of committed ANC volunteers based on factional alignment, and councillors who, despite many years in office, remain largely invisible and unknown to the very communities they are meant to serve.
Comrades, an organisation burdened by these chronic challenges cannot hope to govern effectively in this Region. A divided and factionalised ANC weakens not only itself, but the broader national project of South Africa.
We must therefore place unity and cohesion at the centre of our deliberations. We must emerge from this conference not fractured, but united, and fully behind the regional leadership that will be democratically elected by this gathering.
Comrades, at this Conference we must confront, with honesty and seriousness, the misgovernance and administrative disorder that have left a blemish on the record of our Provincial Government in relation to clean audits. As a Province, we have regressed, and we cannot evade this reality.
This Conference must therefore ask, and be prepared to answer, a difficult but necessary question: why has this regression occurred?
We must speak frankly about what the Auditor-General has been telling us about our municipalities. The most recent Auditor-General reports on local government audit outcomes for the year ended 30 June 2024 show that, while the District Municipality received an unqualified audit opinion, the audit nonetheless revealed a regression in performance outcomes and persistent weaknesses in financial controls, including a significant decline in performance targets achieved and a growth in irregular expenditure.
These findings point to continuing challenges in governance, accountability, and administrative capacity that we must confront directly if we are serious about fixing local government in this Region.
Comrades, we cannot treat these reports as a mere technical exercise of accountants and auditors. They are a political mirror reflecting back to us the true state of our governance. When municipalities record regressing audit outcomes, it is not the Auditor-General who has failed it is us, as the Movement that deploys leadership into those municipalities.
Let us be honest with ourselves. In parts of Sarah Baartman, our people are still experiencing unreliable water supply, dysfunctional infrastructure, delays in service delivery, and administrative instability. These challenges affect daily life in Kouga, Dr Beyers Naudé, Blue Crane Route, Makana, Ndlambe, and Sundays River Valley.
Therefore, when we say fixing local government, we are not speaking in generalities. We are speaking directly to fixing local government in Sarah Baartman.
Comrades, these objective and subjective weaknesses have one clear implication. We cannot renew the ANC in this Region without transforming both our governance performance and our political culture.
Therefore, Branches must function beyond conferences and become active centres of community life, including through sports, youth programmes, and local development initiatives. Deployed councillors and leaders must be visible, accountable, and disciplined servants of the people. Unity, discipline, accountability, and service to the people must guide our renewal in the Eastern Cape.
In this regard, Comrades, our guiding compass remains the 2026 January 8th Statement of the African National Congress.
By now, all of us gathered here ought to be familiar with the priorities articulated in the ANC January 8th Statement. These are not mere slogans; they constitute a coherent programme of action for the renewal, reconstruction, and radical transformation of both our movement and our society.
Comrades, these priorities must not remain words on paper. They must find practical expression in the conduct and decisions of the leadership that you will elect here in Sarah Baartman. Fixing local government in this Region is not a narrow technical exercise; it is a profoundly political, organisational, and moral task that lies at the heart of our revolutionary mission.
This Conference, therefore, is not simply about electing leaders. It is about reaffirming and renewing our collective commitment to the historic mission of the African National Congress, to build a truly free, equal, and prosperous South Africa, beginning with strong, capable, and people-centred municipalities in Sarah Baartman.
I trust that your deliberations will be frank, disciplined, and guided by the best interests of the Movement and the people we serve.
I thank you!
