The ANC has been accused of racialism by its own members who fall under minority groups after the party failed to establish a minorities desk or task team specifically for minorities, including white, coloured and Indian party members.
Belinda Kriel, an ANC member from Ward 17 in Vereeniging, told News24 about how letters appealing for the party to establish a minority desk have been ignored by ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and his deputy, Nomvula Mokonyane.
This despite the ANC’s public pledge in 2023 to establish a desk for minorities within the party.
The group of white ANC members has now accused the party of using them as “electioneering machinery” as opposed to organisational building machinery.
In the lead-up to the 2024 general elections, the ANC sought to attract more white voters and was mulling adopting a document presented by a group of its white, Indian and coloured members as part of its strategy to regain the two-thirds majority it once enjoyed.
City Press reported that, according to a document drafted by a group led by ANC member JP Pretorius, the party mandated its members to mobilise farmers, students and other residents to vote for the party in large numbers across the country.
It was understood that the ANC aimed to secure 20% of its support from white voters.
At the time, Ramaphosa spoke at an ANC event, where he said:
Someone said we need a proper expression of the non-racial character of the ANC, and we need to be focusing on that because, yes, this is where we have been a bit weak, the non-racial character of the ANC has been weakening, and I have said so on several occasions.
He added he knew of several people, including white young people, who had joined the ANC, who said they loved the party and the way it embraced everyone.
Ramaphosa then said the establishment of the desk must be prioritised.
Two years later, the desk has still not been established.
News24 has seen the two letters by Kriel, one dated 2023 and the other written in September 2025.
In her most recent letter, signed off by “a concerned group”, she stated that they had not been included in an ANC workshop on 5 September.
Kriel accused the ANC of sidelining and excluding white constituents from the sectoral workshop, raising questions about “the national question”, which features in the party’s national general council (NGC) discussion documents. These documents highlight strategies for addressing the disconnect between minority communities and reflect on diversity.
She said these communities included Indian, coloured, and white ANC members.
Kriel claimed that the ANC’s roll call for the councillors’ event in October allegedly highlighted the absence of white ANC councillors in the country.
We therefore do not understand how, less than two years later, with the same national groups initiative and minority individuals [who approached Letseke] are now being left behind in the same sectoral engagement group.
“Also, the fact that nothing has happened from the promise that President Ramaphosa made at the sectoral engagement session of 18 March 2023 that the desk will be launched, wherein [Mokonyane] was also encouraged to deal with this implementation, leaves us concerned,” she stated in her letter.
Kriel added that this proved that there was a lack of political will from national executive committee (NEC) officials to implement the desk and deal with their suggestions and concerns, “and thereby renders what is raised in the NGC base document as pointless, and our participation and views in organisational matters as irrelevant”.
She said:
The councillors’ roll call event of 15 September 2025, which proved to have not one white ANC councillor, should also demonstrate just how absent the inclusion of this constituent is in ANC areas of responsibility, and thereby strengthens the calls for inclusivity and our grievance.
Kriel added that she was concerned that their sentiments and participation in the National Dialogue did not matter if their inputs were excluded in ANC internal processes and that this bordered on discrimination that required organisational intervention.
“Since the inception of the national groups initiative we emphasised that structurally and organisationally more is needed to salvage the diminished non-racial character of the ANC than just another elections mobilisation team, and we wish the NEC could understand and allow a platform to be in place that has demonstrated to have a clear plan of action and concept document in place that we compiled towards growing all national groups and minority demographics in the organisation,” she said.
Kriel later told News24 in an interview that the ANC had deviated from its non-racialism under Ramaphosa’s leadership, conceding that, although she would not join the MK Party, she “misses Zuma’s leadership”.
According to her, Mokonyane was delegated the responsibility to ensure the desk’s establishment.
“When white people join, remember we don’t come from the times when this was normal, our parents didn’t teach us about the ANC, we don’t come from townships where people go to gatherings and come together.
“We’ve got a whole different type of scene about things, we stay in suburbs; most white people don’t even know what a branch executive committee is,” she said.
Kriel added she believed a minority desk would assist with some of these administrative duties.
“So we believe if we can have a desk where when people come and when they join, we can at least give them basic information.”
She said:
We, as white people, as well, we’ve got it totally different in the ANC. As soon as we join, we find that the ANC is a black party. We want to be involved, we want to be one, we want to be united, but as soon as we join, the first thing they do is they find the other white people that is in the ANC. But I didn’t really join to be with the other white people.
Kriel added that this was also the case when members embarked on door-to-door campaigns.
“It should be different; that person must be able to go to a predominantly white area, and a white person must be able to go to predominantly black areas. We don’t get a space where we can talk freely about it,” she said.
When News24 approached Mbalula, he asked that questions be sent to the ANC, stating that “these are serious allegations”.
The party’s communications team had not responded by the time of publishing, despite questions being sent on Tuesday morning.
Its response will be added once received.
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