Come the 2026 local government elections, opposition parties in the North West are eager to unseat the ANC in a few dysfunctional municipalities in the province.
A week ago, ANC provincial chairperson Nono Maloyi warned party members that he is concerned that the party may lose high-capacity municipalities such as Rustenburg, JB Marks, Matlosana, and Madibeng.
Trouble on the horizon
Underperformance has plagued the ANC in the province, with some blaming the divisions among Troika members for the problem. Out of the province’s 22 municipalities, the ANC has already removed four mayors and chief whips. Recent developments include the placement of Matlosana under Section 139(5) administration and the ongoing struggles of Ditsobotla to establish a fully functional council and administration, highlight the challenges.
Furthermore, there are allegations of corruption in Mahikeng, exacerbating the problems.
Four Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) chairperson positions are believed to be on offer in Matlosana, Moretele, Ngaka Modiri Molema, and Ratlou municipalities.
The Forum 4 Service Delivery (F4SD) currently holds all of these MPAC positions as part of an agreement the ANC and F4SD reached during Hlomani Chauke’s tenure as ANC Interim Provincial Committee coordinator.
Claims of sabotage
F4SD president Mbahare Kekana stated that the ANC attempted to remove the MPAC chairperson in Moretele. “They tried to remove us from Moretele, but we won. Wherever they try to remove us illegally, we will take the matter to court; where they try to remove us legitimately, we will never challenge it,” he said.
Mbahare said the ANC opposed his party because it holds the mayorship of the Ditsobotla local municipality. “We are ready to take municipalities. They’re fighting us. They wanted to take the mayorship of Ditsobotla, but we told them they couldn’t because the people had rejected them.
“As we speak, they [ANC] made sure that there is no service delivery in Ward 6. ANC suffocates us. Even if they remove us and put in other political party members, they will just serve for one year and six months, then the campaign starts, so they won’t make any impact,” he added.
According to an ANC insider, the party hopes to bring the DA in and give it MPAC chairperson seats to stabilise municipalities in the province.
“We are told that the ANC is in talks with the DA; it means things are not going well for the ANC, therefore it is searching for a way to salvage the party,” he said.
DA in coalition discussion with ANC
DA provincial caucus leader, Freddy Sonakile, said in light of these developments, the 2026 elections will be intriguing. “The DA is exploring potential partnerships in Ditsobotla to improve governance and address challenges such as financial mismanagement and inadequate service delivery,” he said.
During the provincial ANC lekgotla last weekend, Maloyi warned party members to resolve internal challenges.
“As the ANC leadership, we are concerned about several municipalities in the North West,” he said. “If we don’t change our attitude, if we don’t attend to issues raised by our people, possibilities are that we might lose those municipalities.”
He mentioned JB Marks, Matlosana, Madibeng, and Rustenburg as the other municipalities that needed intervention.
“I must say that after our intervention in Matlosana, we are quite happy that at least there is some light at the end of the tunnel, but we are still not happy about what is happening in the administration. Our intention is that Rustenburg must be one of the metros, and for it to arrive there, Rustenburg must be stable, and Rustenburg must be under the control of the ANC.”
EFF says its ready to challenge ANC
However, provincial EFF secretary Papiki Babuile said that his party will focus on hung municipalities in the 403-ward province.
“The EFF is doing very well in Lekwa-Teemane. We have won a ward, and we performed fairly well in the recent by-elections in JB Marks. We are pleased with the process of renewing the mandate of our branches in Rustenburg. We have Ditsobotla, which we are doing very well,” he said.
He claimed that in some municipalities, the ANC is larger by one or two seats than the opposition. Among them are Matlosana, Mamusa, Kgetleng River, and Makwassie Hills.
Babuile said their numbers show significant growth in municipalities such as Taung, where the party has 11 councillors; Mahikeng with 18 and Madibeng and Moretele, where it has more than 12 councillors each.
Poor governance rife
“Our participation or contestation in these municipalities will be based on these assessments that we have made and even planning around that.”
The Auditor General’s reports have over the years highlighted poor oversight in several municipalities in the province, citing weak or dysfunctional MPACs. The state of municipalities in the North West remains a concern.
As the ANC faces challenges in retaining control in 2026, given its declining performance in the 2021 local government elections, emerging parties, such as the uMkhonto weSizwe, are gaining traction and eroding ANC support.
