The African National Congress (ANC) in the Free State, has declared its readiness to lead, this assurance follows what the party describes as a historic and highly consequential engagement with its President, Cyril Ramaphosa, and members of the National Executive deployed to the province.
“This sitting, held at Imvelo Safari Lodge on 26 March 2026, was not merely a routine organisational oversight. It was a reaffirmation of the enduring bond between the movement and its leadership, a strategic realignment of our revolutionary objectives, and a clarion call to renew our collective commitment to the people of this province and the nation at large” said the party in a statement.
“As we enter the year 2026, declared by the ANC as the Year of Fixing Local Government and Transforming the Economy through the District Development Model (DDM), this engagement could not have been timelier. The Free State has declared its readiness to lead. We are not a thoroughfare; we are a premier destination for strategic development and economic resurgence”.
The party also reported on:
1. REAFFIRMING ORGANISATIONAL RENEWAL
“Central to this dialogue was the imperative to rebuild the structures of the ANC from the ground up. The PEC reported on the extensive work undertaken to stabilise the movement, noting that out of 319 branches in the province, 244 have successfully elected their Branch Executive Committees (BECs). However, the commitment of the PEC to finalise the 75 remaining interim structures is unwavering”
2. FIXING LOCAL GOVERNMENT AS THE HEARTBEAT OF SERVICE DELIVERY
The theme for 2026, Fixing Local Government and Transforming the Economy, took center stage during the discussions as it relates to progress of execution, the party said.
“The engagement was unequivocal: the quality of life of our people is determined at the local level. It is in the municipalities where the promise of a better life must be actualized”.
3. TRANSFORMING THE ECONOMY WITH THE FREE STATE PROVINCE AS A GO-TO, NOT A GO-THROUGH DESTINATION
“As Free State, we reaffirm our view that our province is poised for an economic renaissance. We are moving beyond the outdated notion of the Free State as a mere corridor between Gauteng and the coastal provinces. We are actively pursuing a coherent economic strategy anchored in the reviewed Growth and Development Strategy, which seeks to address the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty, and inequality as per ANC Free State policy direction”
4. ORGANISATIONAL RENEWAL TOWARDS LGE ELECTIONS VICTORY AND A PRINCIPLED INTERNATIONALIST STANCE
