ANC election promise: Tougher municipal oversight, if voters trust them again

The ANC has promised to tighten its oversight of municipalities if it returns to power after the November 4 local government elections. The party wants to introduce reporting mechanisms and performance scorecards to track whether its commitments are being delivered.

The party has created a framework against which voters will be able to assess whether the party delivers if it returns to power in municipalities after the November 4 elections.

The manifesto comes as the ANC seeks to recover ground lost in the previous local government elections and get rid of its poor governance reputation.

“This Manifesto is the African National Congress’ commitment to the people of South Africa. It sets out our programme to fix local government, restore public confidence, improve service delivery, grow local economies and build resilient and thriving communities. At its core is the determination by the African National Congress to work together for positive change in communities.

“We make these commitments knowing that trust is earned through concrete action. We therefore invite every South African to hold us accountable for the commitments we make, the progress we achieve, the results we deliver, and any mistakes we make,” it reads.

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One of the most immediate mechanisms proposed is a system of monthly ward meetings, during which councillors would report back to residents on service delivery and implementation of their Ward Programme of Action.

The ANC also proposes a monthly “repair clock” for every ward, which would track outstanding problems involving water, sewerage, electricity, streetlights, potholes and refuse collection. Municipalities would be expected to resolve at least 85% of recorded repair commitments.

The proposal effectively creates a recurring public test for councillors, giving residents a way to monitor whether basic service delivery complaints are being resolved within the municipality’s own targets.

The manifesto also imposes an early reporting deadline on incoming administrations.

Within 60 days, municipalities would have to publish a State of the Municipality Report and present a costed recovery plan at a public imbizo. A series of additional commitments must be implemented within the first 100 days.

These include ensuring that every qualifying grant-receiving household is registered as an indigent household and receives the free basic services to which it is entitled. The indigent register would subsequently have to be updated every quarter.

Municipalities would also have to produce a ward delivery schedule within 100 days. The schedule would provide residents with information on national and provincial projects taking place in their municipality, including the value of each project, the responsible government department and the expected implementation year.

Community safety is another area where the ANC has set a specific deadline.

Within the first 100 days, the mayor would be required to convene a Community Safety Forum, which would meet monthly and develop plans to address crime hotspots through measures including improved lighting, policing and camera infrastructure.

The party has set a 120-day deadline for strengthening municipal senior management.

It promises that critical posts will be filled through merit-based appointments, while lifestyle audits of municipal leadership would be published annually.

Municipal delivery scorecards would be used to track progress against the manifesto commitments as well as broader municipal performance indicators.

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The party is also proposing greater transparency around municipal tariffs. When a municipality adopts an amended tariff schedule, the information would have to be published within 14 days, accompanied by an online calculator that residents could use to determine what they should be paying.

The accountability framework stretches beyond the first months of a new administration.

The ANC says municipalities would produce an annual manifesto implementation report, detailing achievements, their challenges and any corrective measures required.

A further test would come halfway through the municipal term and again at the end of the five-year term in 2031; the party promises a final Manifesto Delivery Report.

The ANC says municipalities must be well-run and accountable, while also becoming institutions that listen to residents and account to them. But the effectiveness of the proposed system will ultimately depend on implementation.

Party President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled the ANC’s 2026 Local Government Election Manifesto at Riverside Park in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, on Sunday, August 23, 2026, setting out the party’s offer to voters ahead of the municipal polls.

At the core of the party’s manifesto are six action areas:

1. Providing affordable water and electricity.
2. Creating more jobs and attracting investment in communities.
3. Promoting safer streets, cleaner neighbourhoods and healthier communities.
4. Ensuring municipal finances are used to meet residents’ needs.
5. Building municipalities that are well-run and accountable.
6. Building municipalities that listen to residents and are accountable to them.

The party’s national municipal vote fell from 53.9% in 2016 to 45.59% in 2021, while the number of hung councils increased from 27 to 66.

The ANC retained outright majorities in only Buffalo City and Mangaung, with the remaining six metropolitan municipalities governed through opposition, coalition or minority arrangements, which are often unstable.

 

Queenin Masuabi