'ANC is being hijacked by the wrong people'– Mtolo promises book reveal

Former ANC KZN secretary Bheki Mtolo has torn into the party’s internal renewal project, saying that it has been “hijacked by wrong people” determined to destroy the organisation from within, a claim he said will be fully exposed in a forthcoming book.

Speaking at a Christmas party he hosted for elderly community members over the weekend, Mtolo said senior ANC figures were actively undermining the party, hollowing it out at a time when it faces declining electoral support and internal instability.

“Our parents, it is tough. I am going to write a book at the end of 2028; the book will be titled How to destroy an organisation in three months,” Mtolo said.

“The ANC is being attacked from the outside and from the inside, you must be strong and fight for the ANC. Our biggest enemies are within the organisation,” Mtolo said.

Mtolo’s remarks come after the ANC decided to disband and reconfigure its provincial executive committees (PECs) in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng following poor performances in the 2024 general elections.

Both provinces were identified as strategic failures, prompting the party’s national leadership to intervene.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the overhaul followed electoral losses and was intended to remove the previous provincial leadership, including chairperson Siboniso Duma and Mtolo himself.

Veteran ANC leaders Jeff Radebe and Mike Mabuyakhulu were appointed as convenor and coordinator respectively to stabilise the province.

Mtolo warned that the intervention had caused deep fractures on the ground, particularly in the Harry Gwala region, which he described as a historic stronghold for the party.

“Harry Gwala region has been strong even through hardships,” he said.

The ANC had announced two weeks ago that preparations for the 2026 local government elections were already underway.

However, that process was abruptly halted when secretary-general Fikile Mbalula signalled plans to once again dissolve the interim structures in both provinces.

Mbalula said the renewed restructuring drive, expected to intensify from February, was unavoidable.

“We have not been doing well. KZN we disbanded the structure because we are facing an existential crisis there, a tsunami,” he said.

Mtolo is now a PTT member.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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