The African National Congress has put ailing local government at the centre of its political programme for 2026, pledging to invest billions of rand in infrastructure amid widespread governance failures, damning audit outcomes and growing voter dissatisfaction. Delivering the party’s January 8 Statement at Moruleng Stadium in the Moses Kotane Local Municipality on Saturday, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa said fixing dysfunctional municipalities would be the party’s top priority in the year ahead. The renewed focus on local government comes against the backdrop of persistent service delivery failures across much of the country, particularly in municipalities governed by the ANC.
Repeated reports by the Auditor-General of South Africa have highlighted weak financial controls, irregular expenditure, poor consequence management and deteriorating infrastructure, especially in water, electricity and road networks. These governance failures have translated into growing political pressure on the party. In the most recent general election, the ANC lost its outright majority nationally and, for the first time, lost control of KwaZulu-Natal, a province long regarded as electorally pivotal.
The party now enters upcoming electoral contests facing sustained scrutiny from increasingly disgruntled voters, particularly at local government level. Speaking under the theme “2026: Year of Decisive Action to Fix Local Government and Transform the Economy”, Ramaphosa said the ANC could no longer tolerate failing councils or poor service delivery. “We cannot accept dysfunctional, apathetic, uncaring local government.
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We cannot accept an economy that only works for the few,” he said. Ramaphosa said the party had identified six key tasks for 2026, with stabilising and reforming local government placed firmly at the top of the agenda.
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