Former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor has expressed deep concern about the state of the African National Congress (ANC), saying the party has declined to the point that many South Africans now view it with “contempt” and “horror and shame.” She urged the ANC to produce selfless leaders committed to serving the people if it hopes to regain majority support.
Political analyst Ebrahim Harvey told VOC News that Pandor’s unusually critical remarks highlight shifting public perceptions.
“She has never uttered such statements before, but I think it’s becoming glaringly obvious,” he said.
Recent polling from the Social Research Foundation suggests the ANC would garner around 30% if elections were held today, indicating potential losses in next year’s local government elections.
While acknowledging the weight of Pandor’s comments, Harvey questioned her position on the ANC’s long-touted “renewal project.”
“They’ve been talking about renewal since the Stellenbosch conference of 2002, that’s 23 years ago, yet things have only gotten worse. Corruption and incompetence have deepened. The ANC has never spelled out, in clear terms, what renewal actually means,” he argued.
He added that Pandor’s willingness to speak out publicly was both brave and rare within the ANC.
“She’s had the courage to use the occasion of the Gertrude Schoppe election to voice these sentiments, and that’s brave, because not many in the ANC do that. But she’s echoing public sentiment. You can see it in the ANC’s performance in last year’s elections. There is a growing anti-ANC mood, and it doesn’t bode well for the party’s future,” Harvey explained.
With just over a year before the 2026 local government elections, Harvey said that Pandor’s remarks may intensify doubts about the ANC’s ability to reconnect with an increasingly disillusioned electorate.
Listen to the full interview below:
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