kuGompo City, Eastern Cape – Leadership from the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) has emerged from a high-level strategic gathering with a clear mandate: contest the 2026 Local Government Elections across all wards while advancing a platform centred on land restitution, youth employment, and Pan-African solidarity.
Speaking at the conclusion of the party’s National Elections Strategic Retreat, PAC President Mzwanele Nyhontso confirmed that delegates—including the National Executive Committee, provincial structures, regional representatives, public office-bearers, and campaign specialists from all nine provinces—have finalised organisational preparations and campaign directives.
Unity and Electoral Ambition
Nyhontso declared that historical factionalism within the movement has been conclusively addressed. “There is one PAC. Gone are those days when there were many PACs,” he stated, emphasising that the party now operates with a single, coherent leadership structure. This internal consolidation, he argued, positions the PAC to focus exclusively on electoral contestation rather than internal disputes.
The party intends to field candidates in every ward nationwide, acknowledging that logistical considerations in remote areas may require adaptive planning. In a significant tactical shift, Nyhontso revealed the PAC will nominate mayoral candidates who are not currently registered party members, with formal membership conferred upon public announcement. He cited the recent selection of a traditional leader in Qandan as a precedent, hinting at further unexpected nominations. “We will be surprising people throughout the country,” he noted.
Policy Pillars: Land, Jobs, and Service Delivery
Reaffirming the PAC’s historical positioning, Nyhontso placed land reform at the centre of the party’s policy agenda. “We’ve been very consistent in telling people that land first and the rest shall follow,” he said, observing that land has now become a mandatory topic for any political entity seeking relevance in South Africa.
The party’s service delivery manifesto prioritises infrastructure development, road maintenance, job creation, community safety, and interventions to address substance abuse among young people. Nyhontso highlighted South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis—noting the country has recently surpassed Brazil in this metric—as a critical challenge requiring urgent rural economic investment.
Immigration: A Pan-African Perspective
Addressing ongoing public debates around migration, Nyhontso articulated the PAC’s principled stance that “no African can be a foreigner in Africa.” He characterised contemporary national boundaries as “artificial borders” imposed by the 1884-85 Berlin Conference, arguing they do not reflect pre-colonial African realities.
While affirming that legally registered individuals have the right to reside in South Africa, Nyhontso criticised selective enforcement of immigration regulations. He questioned why scrutiny often focuses exclusively on Black African migrants while other groups—including undocumented white residents, alleged criminal networks from abroad, and foreign business operators—face less public or official attention. He also referenced the assassination of ANC leader Chris Hani by a white immigrant who entered the country without rigorous documentation checks.
“We can’t be led by thugs… calling us and telling us that this is what you must do,” Nyhontso stated, rejecting xenophobic mobilisation.
Coalition Readiness and Organisational Resilience
On post-election governance, Nyhontso confirmed the PAC’s openness to coalition arrangements. “Coalitions are here to stay… We are going to work with anyone,” he said, adding that the party’s leadership does not pursue politics through antagonistic alliances.
Regarding campaign capacity, he acknowledged that resources are “never sufficient” but pointed to the PAC’s continuous parliamentary representation since 1994 as evidence of organisational durability. “Even those who predicted our death… we attended their funerals as PAC,” he remarked, dismissing external predictions of the party’s decline.
Nyhontso also clarified the nature of the party’s internal cohesion, describing it as “principled unity” rooted in shared liberation objectives rather than personal allegiance. He indicated the PAC would prioritise recruiting new, active members over reconciling with historical dissenters, stating the movement was “formed to liberate our people,” not to convene unity conferences. He cautioned against allowing internal discourse to be dominated by “Facebook revolutionaries” or those focused on historical grievances from the 1959 era, urging attention to contemporary service delivery demands.
The PAC plans to formally launch its election manifesto in August.