The African National Congress (ANC) is in a fight for its political life. The party, which has governed South Africa since 1994, is grappling with a severe credibility crisis driven by widespread infrastructure failures, sparse water supply, and mounting municipal debts. The culmination of this public disillusionment was seen in the 2021 local government elections when, for the first time in its history, the party dipped below 50% of the national vote.
The symptoms of the crisis are everywhere. In a recent report, it was revealed that the Department of Water and Sanitation has paid millions of rands to contractors for incomplete projects, leaving communities without access to clean water. Municipalities across the country are failing to collect revenue and are buckling under a collective debt that runs into the billions. This has led to a vicious cycle where a lack of funds prevents proper maintenance of crucial infrastructure, which in turn leads to service delivery failures and a lack of public trust.
The ANC is acutely aware of the problem. President Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking to thousands of ANC councillors, issued a stark warning that poor municipal performance could lead to the death of the party. He has openly admitted that some of the country’s best-run municipalities are those governed by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), a painful but necessary acknowledgment of the party’s failures.
The ANC’s new Service Delivery Action Plan is an attempt to address the rot and win back the trust of disillusioned voters. The plan, adopted by the party’s National Executive Committee, aims to provide a clear roadmap for councillors to fix broken services and restore accountability. For many, this is the party’s last chance to prove that it can move beyond rhetoric and deliver a government that is truly for the people. The public will be watching closely to see if the ANC can learn from its mistakes and reverse a trend that threatens its very existence.
