Could the ANC be Rethinking the NDR?

The African National Congress (ANC) may be reassessing its commitment to the National Democratic Revolution (NDR), its defining ideological anchor for more than 50 years. This shift is suggested between the lines of a recent internal party document drafted for the ANC's fifth National General Council (NGC) meeting, set to begin this Monday.

Adopted in the 1960s, the NDR is based on Lenin’s theory of imperialism, which asserts that colonial wealth comes from exploitation. It advocates for state control to redistribute this wealth. Over the years, the ANC has aligned many of its policies with the NDR, including the nationalisation of mineral resources, black economic empowerment (BEE), expropriation without compensation, and the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme. These policies have come at a significant economic cost, the collective consequences of which culminated in the ANC’s losing its national electoral majority in 2024.

To a degree the party may now be coming to realise that its electoral failure was tied to the consequences of these policies. A close reading of the document suggests that to regain electoral strength, the ANC may reconsider some once-sacred cows.

The NGC, held every five years, serves as the ANC’s major platform for policy review. This year, the party has called for a deep reflection on the NDR, which has long been central to its transformation agenda. While the ANC maintains that the NDR is essential to building a non-racial and non-sexist South Africa, there are also hints that the party is prepared to reconsider many of the ideas and policies that flow directly from the NDR’s core principles.

A key concern highlighted in the document is the fragmentation of the NDR’s “motive forces,” the working class, youth, and historically oppressed groups. The ANC argues that new “motive forces” must be identified to reignite the NDR.

The document softens that message by suggesting that the NDR has not been derailed, but rather slowed, and that revitalisation is essential to restore momentum.

The ANC document says: “Fundamentally, we emphasise the theme of societal, organisational, and ideological renewal. Renewal has become a strategic question on which the fate of the NDR depends. On the one hand, the ANC…require[s] ideological and organisational renewal to correct mistakes, weather all the storms, and advance the NDR in the current phase. On the other hand, there is also a need for national rejuvenation and renewal, given the many social, political, and economic challenges that our nation faces.”

This statement must be read against the ANC’s recent pronouncements on issues such as BEE and its acceptance of the Growth and Inclusion (GAIn) economic plan, which show a softening of many of its previous policy positions.