ANC Set to Replace Jeff Radebe as KZN Convenor Amid Election Crisis
Luthuli House is preparing to remove ANC veteran Jeff Radebe as the convenor of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provincial task team (PTT). The party’s national leadership expects to replace Radebe with KZN party heavyweight Mike Mabuyakhulu, a move likely to be finalized during the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) meeting on Monday, April 13, 2026.
This leadership shuffle comes as the ANC struggles to stabilize its presence in KZN and Gauteng ahead of the upcoming local government elections. The decision to remove Radebe stems from a belief within the party that his tenure has “done more damage than excellent,” according to a senior ANC national executive committee (NEC) source reported by the Sunday Times.
The Leadership Shuffle in KwaZulu-Natal
The reconfiguration of the KZN leadership is part of a broader strategy to reconstitute provincial task teams in the party’s most challenged regions. While Mike Mabuyakhulu is expected to step in as the convenor of the fresh PTT, insiders indicate that Siphile Mdaka will replace Mabuyakhulu. Mdaka is the current mayor of the uMkhanyakude municipality and a former regional secretary of the ANC’s Nokuhamba Nyawo region (Sunday Times).
This shift follows a period of intense “reconfiguration” initiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa, which saw the NEC disband the provincial executive committees (PECs) in both KZN and Gauteng to install task teams after dismal performances in the 2024 elections.
A Pattern of Electoral Decline
The urgency for leadership changes is driven by a dramatic collapse in voter support. The ANC has faced significant losses in two of its most critical provinces:
- KwaZulu-Natal: Voter support plummeted from 55.4% in 2019 to 17.6% in 2024.
- Gauteng: Support dropped from 53.2% in 2019 to 36.4% in 2024.
These declines were preceded by the loss of majorities in key metropolitan municipalities during the 2021 local polls, including eThekwini in KZN, and Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni in Gauteng (Sunday Times).
Conference Postponements and Structural Failures
The ANC has formally postponed the KZN provincial elective conference until after the local government elections. Originally scheduled for late April 2026, the conference was shelved because the PTT failed to meet the March 31 deadline to convene provincial structures. Specifically, the PTT struggled to gain more than 800 branches ready to elect new leadership reported by Cape Argus.
Provincial spokesperson Fanle Sibisi confirmed the postponement, stating that the national leadership has directed the party to prioritize preparing branches and regions for the local government elections over the elective conference (Cape Argus).
Key Takeaways: ANC KZN Leadership Crisis
- Imminent Change: Jeff Radebe is expected to be removed as KZN convenor; Mike Mabuyakhulu is the likely replacement.
- Structural Failures: The KZN elective conference is postponed until after local elections due to a failure to prepare 800+ branches.
- Electoral Collapse: KZN support crashed from 55.4% in 2019 to 17.6% in 2024.
- Strategic Goal: Luthuli House is reconstituting PTTs in KZN and Gauteng to avoid entering local elections without elected structures.
Looking Ahead
The ANC now faces the daunting task of rebuilding its grassroots structures in KZN from “ground zero.” With the elective conference delayed, the focus shifts entirely to the local government elections, where the party must prove it can reverse its downward trajectory and regain the trust of a dwindling voter base.