South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to urgently improve basic service delivery as the country heads toward local government elections later this year.
Speaking on Saturday at the ANC’s 114th anniversary celebrations in Rustenburg, Ramaphosa acknowledged growing public frustration over failing local services and warned that poor performance at municipal level was costing the party voter support.
South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, is required to hold local elections before November. Historically, the ANC performs worse in municipal polls than in national elections, as voters use them to express anger over everyday problems such as broken water systems, sewage spills and deteriorating roads.
“The first task for our movement in 2026 is to fix local government and improve services,” Ramaphosa told party members during the televised event. He said municipalities must return to basics by repairing potholes, collecting refuse regularly and ensuring reliable access to clean water and sanitation.
The ANC suffered a major setback in the 2021 local elections when it secured less than 50 percent of the vote for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994. That result was widely seen as an early warning sign ahead of national elections less than three years later, in which the party also lost its outright majority.
While the ANC has earned international recognition for helping unite a deeply divided society and for overseeing one of the world’s most progressive constitutions, its record on service delivery has remained a persistent weakness. Ramaphosa acknowledged this contrast, noting that while South Africa continues to play an active diplomatic role globally, many communities at home still struggle with basic infrastructure failures.
Ramaphosa ANC local government services
The president said chronic national power shortages had largely been resolved, but admitted that localised electricity outages remain a problem in some municipalities. He announced that the government had committed 54 billion rand (about $3.3 billion) to water and energy infrastructure projects aimed at stabilising services at local level.
Ramaphosa also warned that high unemployment, particularly among young people, was fuelling growing disillusionment with both the ANC and South Africa’s democratic system.
“Many young South Africans are beginning to question whether our democracy, and indeed our movement, is truly working for them,” he said.
With elections approaching, the president’s message signals a clear attempt by the ANC leadership to confront voter dissatisfaction head-on and rebuild trust at the local government level.
