The ANC, celebrating 114 years in existence this week, deployed its national officials to the North West, a service delivery hotspot, in a charm offensive meant to launch the party’s road to the 2026 local government elections. It’s now or never/do-or-die for Africa’s oldest liberation movement, which celebrates its birthday this weekend amid calls for renewal in the face of dwindling voter support, corruption allegations in its ranks, a poor service delivery record and the new threat of the breakaway uMkhonto weSizwe party, led by former ANC president Jacob Zuma. This week, the party crisscrossed the North West province, where it faces a myriad of challenges, with President Cyril Ramaphosa leading the charge, but staying clear of Marikana, where dozens of mineworkers were killed by police in a bloodbath that sucked in Ramaphosa, then a shareholder of Lonmin which owned the operation at the time.
Ramaphosa visited multiple communities in Rustenburg and surrounding wards, meeting residents, ward councillors and traditional leaders. He heard complaints about water shortages, electricity outages, potholes, and slow service delivery, and promised residents that the party would prioritise interventions. At several stops, he fielded questions directly from community members, recording grievances and urging residents to report issues through official channels.
Ramaphosa framed the party’s anniversary as a moment to recommit to citizens, adding: “We are going to be taking the ANC to greater heights because the birthday of the ANC gives us more courage, it infuses us with more energy to do more work for our people because the ANC exists for the people.” He warned that failure to deliver services “is an infringement of the basic rights of residents and our citizens more broadly”. Ramaphosa emphasised that public officials must prioritise the needs of citizens over personal gain, warning that inadequate service delivery threatens fundamental rights. “Those of us elected to office are meant to serve the people, not our own interests.
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When essential services fail, it violates the basic rights of residents and citizens. No one should go even a single day without access to running water while municipal authorities remain silent on when it will be restored,” he said. Deputy presidentPaul Mashatilewent toDitsobotla Local Municipality, where he said political instability was now a thing of the past, with councillors working together to address longstanding service delivery challenges.
Ditsobotla had long been known as a problematic municipality but had now been stabilised, Mashatile told theMail & Guardian. “We have one mayor, one speaker, and the team is working together. In the past, there were divisions to the extent that there was parallel leadership in the town, but that has now been resolved,” he said.
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