Nomvula Mokonyane talks women leadership in the ANC, grief and Bosasa | REAL POLITIKI

Overview

The episode of Real Politiki (an all-women show) features Nomvula Mokonyane, discussing women’s leadership in the ANC, her personal life shaped by apartheid-era struggle, grief and motherhood under political pressure, and her views on ANC factionalism and the post-2024 coalition landscape.

Women’s leadership, faith, and resilience

• Mokonyane frames her political toughness as rooted in her upbringing in poverty and the Catholic Church’s role in her life—especially through hymns and prayer during periods of isolation and detention.
• She emphasizes the importance of finding strength through faith when imprisoned and rejected, citing a hymn that became a personal “vow” during solitary confinement and difficult seasons.

What drew her to politics (and why she stayed)

• She says she was not recruited into politics; instead, politics grew out of living apartheid’s everyday realities: township life under segregation, municipal threats, and laws restricting movement and family life.
• She describes early exposure through schooling links to Lourenço Marques (Maputo) (during the Portuguese–FRELIMO conflict), learning about activism and sacrifice through church instruction.

Relationship, imprisonment, and the cost of activism on family life

• Mokonyane recounts meeting her husband (also politically active) through the Church during the struggle, and the couple’s life being repeatedly disrupted by state targeting.
• She describes being detained during pregnancy and giving birth while incarcerated, portraying revolutionary songs and scripture as sustaining her.
• She argues that the real cost of political leadership is often not just time away from family, but the risk of opponents targeting one’s children—a harm she says can permanently scar people.
• She stresses intentional family time and normalcy where possible (church, sports, community life), resisting the idea that activism should consume everything.

Grief under public life and ANC pressure

• Mokonyane discusses the public nature of her losses—her son’s death (not described in detail but framed as politically affected), the death of her husband, and the strain of mourning as an ANC leader.
• She says ANC internal politics and leadership structures can make personal grieving harder, and she recounts an episode where she was pressured during mourning:
  • She opposed internal attempts to prevent her from presenting the State of the Province Address and describes being pushed to resign informally while she still carried key duties.
• She insists that being seen in mourning carried a political message: the country had to witness a woman leading while grieving.

Women supporting women inside the ANC (and why it sometimes fails)

• Mokonyane argues that women don’t always refuse to support each other out of deliberate malice; it can come from pleasing powerful figures, factional influence, and failures to complement each other’s strengths.
• She provides an example of internal ANC dynamics where the ANC Women’s League did not support her candidacy, and she describes how patriarchal and factional politics can operate even with women involved.
• She frames this as something she would use to teach younger generations about patriarchy and factionalism, even in spaces where women leadership is expected to break those patterns.

Bosasa / Zondo Commission allegations: her position

• Mokonyane states she has no corrupt relationship with Bosasa, arguing that her record shows she was not involved in corrupt dealings through linked departments.
• She says she did not regret how she handled matters at the Zondo Commission, suggesting she chose not to expose everything in a way that could harm the movement.
• She says Bosasa-supported work was framed as community/CSI-related assistance, and she disputes allegations of significant personal payments or procurement influence.
• She also expresses that the accusations have been painful—especially regarding how memory and betrayal operate within political movements.

2024 ANC election loss and GNU negotiations: why unity faltered

• She explains that after the ANC lost its majority in 2024, she sought debriefing/therapy because of the shock, the pressure of results, and the stress of preparing to lead negotiations.
• She argues that coalition discussions broke down due to partner rejections, naming:
  • the MKP’s unexpected impact,
  • EFF’s refusal,
  • and difficulties with other parties (including misalignment on negotiation terms).
• She criticizes the GNU becoming less about the ANC-led intent to stabilize and protect constitutional priorities, saying some partners shifted toward opportunistic politics after negotiations.

Local governance approach and renewal

• Mokonyane claims the ANC is trying to improve municipal candidate selection by vetting and emphasizing community preferences, noting high application numbers and a reported vetting process.
• She stresses accountability and says people must understand that municipalities depend on revenue from residents, not only grants.
• She highlights ANC efforts to renew internal relationships and deploy competent leadership, using examples of cooperation among women leaders in municipal structures.

Final question: leadership ambition

• When asked if she would run for president, she says she would run for any role the ANC structures request, emphasizing she has consistently served the ANC.

Presenters / Contributors

• Bong (host)
• Sam Tandanda Kappa (host)
• Nomvula Mokonyane (guest)