ANC unveils 6-point plan for 2026 local elections

The ANC has unveiled its 2026 local government elections manifesto anchored by a plan of action in six key areas as its selling point.

These include the provision of quality services and infrastructure, driving investment and job creation, ensuring safe, clean and healthy communities, ensuring there are sustainable and people-centred municipal finances, ensuring there is accountable local government and community participation

These plans are what will guide the ANC should South Africans buy into its promises and hand the party outright majorities in the 257 municipalities across the country.

The ANC manifesto was launched by its president, Cyril Ramaphosa, at Riverside in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg.

The manifesto, Ramaphosa told scores of ANC supporters, aims to build on the progress the party has already made while drawing on lessons learnt since it took over government.

Action area one focuses on delivery of basic services and how the ANC promises reliable, quality and affordable municipal services for all citizens, including clean water, reliable electricity, sanitation, as well as roads that are maintained.

The ANC promises to deliver affordable and constant electricity, upgrade informal settlements, reduce the cost of living, reduce water and electricity losses, expand access to free basic services through the indigent lists, expand access to reliable internet and provide free WiFi around public buildings.

On electricity, the manifesto hails the ANC’s progress in ending load-shedding, with the country having now gone more than 400 days without a blackout.

“Our task now is to ensure that electricity reaches every home and business, without interruption and at prices that every family can afford.”

This action area also speaks about investments made in water and its infrastructure through the National Water Action Plan to ensure municipalities are able to supply clean water as well as fix leaks.

In this section, the ANC manifesto focuses on metro trading services reform, which is working on improving the performance and financial sustainability of water, sanitation, electricity and solid waste services.

“Through this we are demonstrating how the three spheres of government — national, provincial and local — can work together to improve people’s lives. Over the next five years, the ANC will strengthen municipal capacity and responsiveness,” said Ramaphosa.

Action area two focuses on job creation and bringing investments directly to the municipalities.

In this area, the ANC promises to industrialise cities, towns, townships and rural areas by creating conditions that would attract investment and job creation.

“Our cities, towns and villages must be places where people can find work, where workers can earn a decent income, where businesses can grow, and where entrepreneurs can build enterprises. This is already happening in many parts of the country,” said Ramaphosa.

The second action area plan in the ANC manifesto promises, within the next five years, to digitise municipal business services, improve turnaround times for planning approvals, identify priority industries and areas of economic potential, promote investments in manufacturing, agro-processing, agriculture, tourism, fisheries, the creative economy, and digital and green industries, while also ensuring support for informal traders, home-based businesses, creative sector and what they call “gig workers”.

Action area three focuses on safety and security in areas where people live, saying people cannot continue to be afraid to use their streets, transport and public facilities.

This section promises to improve safety and security measures around schools and transport areas while enforcing by-laws against unlawful liquor outlets, and to support prevention and youth programmes.

“Over the next five years, the ANC will make safety visible in every community. While better policing is important, there is much that local government can do. Together, we will build safer, cleaner and more liveable communities by maintaining street lighting, parks, taxi ranks, cemeteries, sports facilities and community halls,” said Ramaphosa.

This section also promises to address the problem of illegal dumping, promote local safety, reclaim hijacked buildings, tackle slumlords and protect workers, job seekers and businesses from exploitation and unlawful employment practices.

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Action area four focuses on municipal finances, highlighting that a municipality cannot function without proper financial management.

In this section, the ANC manifesto says that in the next five years, the party will conclude the review of the funding models for local municipalities, restore their financial health and ensure financial accountability.

“We will take further measures to ensure that municipalities end waste and corruption, collect revenue fairly and efficiently, improve billing and control expenditure. We will focus on strengthening procurement and contract management and ensure that budgets are directed towards the priorities of the people,” said Ramaphosa.

Action area five deals with ensuring municipalities are run ethically, by capable people, who are accountable to ensure there is stability.

In this section, the ANC promises to strengthen political accountability and representative leadership in municipalities by insisting that every ANC local government representative signs a public performance agreement and code of ethical conduct. Its representatives will also be taken through regular performance assessments, undertake leadership development programmes and report regularly to communities.

It is in this section that the ANC promises to immediately remove any of its councillors or mayors who fail to deliver on the agreed responsibilities while highlighting that it will apply its step-aside rule swiftly to those who are found with their hands in the cookie jar, while also promising to deal with the issue of conflict of interest.

Action area six includes the participation of communities in their municipalities by ensuring there is constant engagement between municipalities and local structures and traditional leaders. This section also deals with strengthening the relationship between municipalities and royal households.

“ANC councillors will have to maintain constituency programmes, be accessible on a range of platforms and hold regular meetings. The work of ANC mayors and councillors starts the moment they take office. They have 100 days to show real progress in tackling the most pressing issues in the municipality,” said Ramaphosa.

This section also introduces a new tracking system that will ensure councillors regularly account to communities.

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