By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider

The African National Congress(ANC) National General Council (NGC) went underway today as they convened for the fifth time since it was established, in order to discuss plans on who will take Cyril Ramaphosa’s place as President of the ANC.

The NGC does not operate as an elective conference and neither is it a forum for adopting new policies, but does serve as an assessment of the party’s progress and the overall state of the organization. 

As Ramaphosa’s second term is set to expire in 2027, there are few members of the ANC who are ready to take on the position as party leader. The most forthright candidate to succeed Ramaphosa is ANC Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, as he briefed the media last week Friday dismissing any notion that the convention has anything to do with succession.

 “The general council is not going to discuss succession. That talk belongs to the branches at that stage relevant to it, which will be in 2027. This general council is about preparing the ANC to win elections, consolidating renewal of the ANC” said Mbalula at the media briefing on Friday. 

 In the three day convention, the points of discussion will center around an overview of the ANC, policy implementation, governance matters. President Ramaphosa has emphasised the importance of the ANCs renewal as it is essential to ensure the party’s survival.

 “If the ANC can demonstrably renew itself, then public attitudes towards our movement will shift from cynicism to possibly cautious optimism. We have to earn that trust through our actions, not our words” said Ramaphosa. 

The NGC is also to review the implementation of resolutions undertaken at its 55th National Elective Conference back in 2022 which includes a renewal for the party.