ANC concedes failures and sets out what it will change
JOHANNESBURG — The ANC has acknowledged that voters punished its failures in local government, promising to select public representatives on competence rather than factional loyalty and rebuild its branches after losing support and long-held councils. In a statement dated 7 November, the party accepted the election outcome and said its National Executive Committee would meet shortly to determine its response.
“We did not do well in this election. Our support has fallen,” the statement said. The ANC acknowledged that remaining the largest party did not erase its reduced mandate or justify celebrating while communities were demanding better government.
The statement directly recognised failures affecting households, including unreliable water supplies, uncollected refuse, neglected roads and incorrect municipal accounts that went unanswered. It also acknowledged that, in some places, public money had not been spent for the benefit of residents, leaving vulnerable households to bear the consequences.
The party argued that municipalities faced limited revenue, shortages of skills and the continuing effects of apartheid settlement patterns. However, it said those conditions did not excuse its shortcomings. Its promised response includes tougher action against misconduct and against representatives who treat public office as private property.
The admission comes amid a sharp electoral decline. Associated Press reporting during the count placed the ANC near 31%, compared with just over 45% in the 2021 municipal elections, with rivals leading in several major metros. Those figures remained provisional.
On coalitions, the ANC said formal talks were not yet under way at the time of its statement, but discussions were expected soon. It indicated willingness to enter arrangements based on constitutional principles, agreed priorities and uninterrupted services, while rejecting undisclosed concessions benefiting individual parties.
The party also acknowledged that repeated leadership changes and delayed budgets had damaged municipal administration. It said residents should be protected from political disagreements, with water, electricity, refuse collection and support for vulnerable households continuing regardless of coalition negotiations.
Alongside its internal commitments, the ANC said national government must support municipalities irrespective of how their residents voted. It pointed to municipal funding, infrastructure grants and coordination between spheres of government as mechanisms for improving services, including in councils it does not control.
The statement also condemned political killings and urged police and prosecutors to pursue those who commission and finance violence, as well as the perpetrators, while protecting witnesses.
The forthcoming special NEC meeting is the next organisational step. It will consider the results and establish the position guiding the ANC’s work, including its approach to governing where voters have denied it an outright majority.
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