January 8: Ramaphosa calls for ANC renewal ahead of local government elections

By Simon Nare and Akani Nkuna

President Cyril Ramaphosa, presiding over a divided party and alliance, warned the ANC that it must urgently renew itself or risk political extinction.

Delivering the ANC’s January 8 Statement at Moruleng Stadium outside Rustenburg in the North West, Ramaphosa said the renewal of the ANC and its alliance partners was the most pressing organisational task of the current generation.

In recent months, the party has been at loggerheads with its alliance partners, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), with the SACP having committed to contesting the 2026 Local Government Elections independently

“We need to act with urgency, determination and courage in making renewal more visible and irreversible. We fully understand that we either renew or perish,” told throngs of ANC supporters.

Ramaphosa stressed that renewal must be both personal and organisational, urging ANC members to