By Teboho Moloi
BLOEMFONTEIN – The ANC in the Free State says it is moving to stabilize and rebuild its structures ahead of the 2026 local government elections, with provincial secretary Polediso Motsoeneng confirming that 75 interim branches are still to be finalized.
Briefing the media on Monday, 30 March, Motsoeneng said the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) had prioritised completing outstanding structures to restore organisational strength across the province.
The update followed a recent national leadership oversight visit led by ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, held at Imvelo Safari Lodge on 26 March.
Motsoeneng said progress had been made, with 244 of the province’s 319 branches having successfully elected Branch Executive Committees (BECs).
“We have undertaken an extensive programme to stabilise the organisation ahead of the elections,” he said.
However, he conceded that weaknesses in the party’s membership system remain a major obstacle.
“The system has proven unreliable in qualifying branches based on quorum alone rather than completed leadership elections.
A functional ANC is measured by active branches. We will spare no effort to ensure every branch is revitalized, every region is convened and every structure is accountable.”
Motsoeneng framed the effort within the party’s 2026 theme, Fixing Local Government and Transforming the Economy, aligned to the District Development Model (DDM).
He said rebuilding the ANC “from the ground up” was central to discussions with the national leadership.
“As we enter 2026, this engagement could not have been timelier. The Free State has declared its readiness to lead. We are not a thoroughfare – we are a destination for strategic development and economic resurgence,” he said.
He added that governance failures in municipalities — including financial mismanagement and corruption that triggered Section 139 interventions — were viewed as “political defeats” the party would not tolerate.
“As the ANC in the Free State, we are determined to ensure municipalities are not just administrative entities, but engines of inclusive growth and community development,” Motsoeneng said.
