ANC Gauteng provincial task team co-convenor Panyaza Lesufi says the outcome of the party’s regional conference must be respected and that the leadership of the African National Congress in Johannesburg is legitimate and uncontested.
He was speaking at the ANC’s 114th anniversary January 8 celebrations in Soweto on Sunday.
Lesufi said the event was deliberately held in the region to send a strong message that any differences within the party must be addressed through proper channels and that the elected leadership must be given the recognition it deserves.
“If you don’t respect an elected leadership, we will attend to you not only today, tomorrow and forever because the leadership must be respected and the leadership must be given the necessary recognition that it needs,” he said.
He officially introduced the regional chairperson of the ANC in Johannesburg, Loyiso Masuku, along with the full regional leadership, emphasising that the leadership is undisputed.
Johannesburg’s member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for finance, Masuku, was elected as ANC Johannesburg regional chair in December, defeating current mayor Dada Morero. The outcome is seen as a potential trigger for changes in the city’s mayoral position.
Lesufi stressed that no one had taken the conference to court and that there was no dispute over the leadership of Johannesburg.
Lesufi said the national leadership was addressing issues with ballot papers and boxes, which he described as “clumsy” and “unnecessary.”
This follows the discovery of papers believed to be linked to the ANC’s Greater Johannesburg regional conference in December 2025 at a private home in Pretoria.
The conference has since been overshadowed by allegations of bribery and election manipulation, which are now under investigation by both the police and the party’s national leadership.
He added that any loss of confidence in leadership should be handled by accepting the outcome and preparing for the next conference.
Lesufi also cautioned against “hard comments” and calling for a culture of respect and adherence to conference processes.
Lesufi also praised members who had engaged with the ANC through proper channels and commended branches and structures that attended the National General Council (NGC). He highlighted the NGC’s clarity and unity, saying it reaffirmed that the only leader of the ANC is President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“The NGC was very clear, comrades. And it was unanimous. There was only one leader of the African National Congress and that leader is Cyril Ramaphosa. There is no other leader of the African National Congress,” Lesufi said.
He further addressed issues of branch and regional mandates, saying the NGC had emphasised the need to end situations where delegates arrived at conference with mandates opposite to those given by branches or regions.
Lesufi noted the council had called for amendments to the ANC constitution to allow members to vote for new leadership directly and to decentralise membership systems to regions to prevent manipulation.
“The NGC was clear that the membership system must move from national and be decentralised to our region so that we get a control over it.
''We don’t want people that manipulate membership to favour a certain outcome. We also don’t want people to manipulate membership purely because they are scared of democracy in their own branches.''
“What is on the agenda is to deliver a decisive victory for the ANC in the forthcoming local government elections,” he said.
*This article was first published by IOL News
