The ANC in the Western Cape continues to grapple with factionalism following its decline in the recent elections.

Listen to this article 7 min Listen to this article 7 min Against the backdrop of a poor showing at the polls, history is repeating itself as factional squabbles are again dividing the ANC in the Western Cape barely a year after constituting its provincial structures.

The Dullah Omar region, the ANC's biggest in terms of membership in the province, is embroiled in a dispute with the party's provincial leadership over the appointment of a new proportional representation (PR) councillor for the City of Cape Town. This has sparked allegations of political manipulation and threats of legal action.

In terms of votes, the Western Cape is the ANC's weakest province and when the new leadership was elected in June last year, it insisted it was up to the task of uniting the party while at the same time improving the party's fortunes in elections.

In May's general elections, the party continued losing support in the province, winning 19.55% (eight seats in the legislature) of the vote, down from the 28.63% (12 seats) achieved in 2019.

Region vs province

The Dullah Omar regional executive committee (REC) has expressed its dissatisfaction with the provincial leadership's handling of the councillor appointment.

The...