Ramaphosa unveils six-point plan to revive economy and fix local municipalities

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged ANC deployees to prioritise service delivery in local government. President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined a comprehensive six-point plan focusing on municipal service delivery to rejuvenate South Africa’s struggling economy. Speaking at the ANC’s 114th anniversary on Saturday, he highlighted the critical link between functional local government and economic growth, while addressing persistent challenges, including municipal load reduction despite the end of national load shedding.

Ramaphosa presented a detailed ANC NEC-prepared statement, which seeks to improve ailing infrastructure and various service delivery challenges across the country’s 259 municipalities. He acknowledged that weak municipal governance and failing service delivery are among the main factors contributing to the decline in public trust in the ANC. His announcement comes amid rising frustrations over inadequate service delivery, particularly in provinces like the North West, where communities grapple with crumbling infrastructure despite abundant resources like platinum.

Residents voiced their concerns over neglected roads, unrepaired potholes, and limited job opportunities, raising questions about the efficiency of provincial and local leaders. ANC bikers revved things up ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s January 8 address at the Moruleng Stadium on Saturday. Addressing a crowd at the Moruleng Stadium — home to over 20,000 spectators — Ramaphosa’s speech exhibited the energy of his supporters, yet highlighted the empty sections of the venue, a stark reminder of voter fatigue and the increasing disillusionment with unfulfilled promises.

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“The first task is to fix local government.Secondly, we must speed up economic transformation to ensure economic growth and wage a war against crime and corruption, including the scourge of GBVF. We also call on the government to collaborate with our transitional leaders to build vibrant local economies and improve service delivery,” he stated.

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