The African National Congress (ANC) on Friday announced a shift in how it governs and deploys leadership, ahead of the upcoming local government elections, with plans for an intensive headhunting of mayoral candidates.

Speaking during a media briefing in Johannesburg, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said the party was entering a “decisive phase” in preparing for the 2026 local government elections, centering on the credibility of governance at local level.

The party is formally launching its mayoral and councillor candidate selection process, and is introducing a “strengthened, centralised and competency-based” approach to the identification and deployment of executive leadership in key municipalities.

In doing this, Mbalula pointed out that the ANC was taking “extraordinary steps” to ensure leadership deployed to municipalities was “capable, ethical, disciplined and accountable”.

He said the search extended beyond the traditional internal ANC processes to include experienced public representatives, professionals and specialists in governance, community leaders and veterans of government.

“This proactive approach aims to find individuals with proven leadership track records and governance capability, expanding the pool of talent while remaining firmly rooted in the values and discipline of the organisation,” he explained.

Mbalula said the party would establish a centralised implementation machinery within the office of the secretary general, supported by a dedicated secretariat and coordinating with the party’s local government interventions committee, for uniformity, strategic oversight, and discipline in implementation across all provinces.

“This move ensures that the selection process is not hindered by regional factionalism and that high-calibre leadership is maintained nationally,” he explained.

The ANC is also calling for public submissions, inviting communities, stakeholders and broader society to nominate individuals to serve as mayors.

The process, Mbalula said, would be complemented by structured consultation with provincial and regional leadership to ensure that the final pool of candidates reflected national strategic priorities and the lived realities of communities.

He assured that a rigorous and transparent assessment process would be undertaken, featuring strict requirements approved by the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

“These measures are designed to ensure that candidates are not only politically grounded, but possess the technical capability, administrative competence, ethical integrity and leadership capacity required to manage complex municipalities and deliver meaningful change,” he said.

ANC national officials will finalise and approve mayoral candidates based on their competence, credibility, and capacity to deliver on the party's transformation agenda.

This process, Mbalula added, would include creating strategic leadership teams in municipalities to ensure “stable, coherent, and effective governance”.

The finalisation and announcement of the ANC’s mayoral candidates will be undertaken in June, in phases.

Mbalula announced that this programme focused on eight metropolitan municipalities and 22 secondary cities, which he said were central to economic activity, infrastructure development and service delivery in South Africa.

He assured that the ANC would approach these deployments with seriousness and strategic focus.

He highlighted that following the selection, candidates would undergo rigorous training, including programmes through the OR Tambo School of Leadership, to ensure alignment with ANC policies, governance frameworks and the electoral strategy.

Mbalula explained that upon taking office, all ANC mayors must sign legally binding public Mayoral Delivery Agreements, which establish performance targets and measurable goals.

“These agreements will be subject to continuous monitoring through structured performance reviews. Where there is underperformance, instability or failure to meet agreed targets, the ANC will act decisively. Intervention mechanisms, including leadership reconfiguration and recall, will be implemented without hesitation,” he said.

COUNCILLOR CANDIDATE SELECTION PROCESSES

Mbalula announced that central to this intervention was the reconfiguration of the councillor candidate selection processes, which he said combined organisational democracy with strategic leadership deployment.

He explained that at the level of councillor selection, the ANC reaffirmed the centrality of its branches as the basic units of democracy and centres of community organisation.

“The candidate selection process will be rooted in Branch General Meetings, complemented by structured community engagements that allow residents to interrogate, assess and express confidence in those who seek to represent them as ANC ward councillors,” he said.

He noted that this process ensured that candidates emerged not only through organisational processes, but through community legitimacy, guided by clear criteria of integrity, capability, political commitment and service to the people.

“The Electoral Committee, Provincial List Committees and vetting structures will ensure that all candidates meet the required standards, including qualifications, ethical standing and organisational discipline,” he added.

Mbalula pointed out that this approach represented a decisive break from gatekeeping, manipulation and narrow interests, and he reasserted the principle that public representatives must be both products of the movement and servants of the people.