ANC touts progress, admits to broken promises
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the party’s 2026 local government elections manifesto in Riverside, Diepsloot. He combined a celebration of past achievements with a blunt admission that the government has failed to meet many expectations. Ramaphosa said his party is proud of the progress made under its stewardship, including electrification, housing, and basic services. However, he also stated that the ANC is willing to accept the service delivery shortcomings that South Africans experience daily.
The president said the party used “honesty” in admitting that in many municipalities services remained unreliable and infrastructure was deteriorating. He listed specific issues facing communities: water treatment plants that are not properly maintained, pipes that are aging, sewage spills that remain unattended, broken streetlights, and refuse that is not collected.
Ramaphosa pointed to improved housing conditions for Diepsloot residents since the end of apartheid as a tangible result of governance.
“We accept responsibility, both for the progress that has been made, but we also accept responsibility for the failures and shortcomings where we govern,” Ramaphosa told thousands of people gathered at the grounds.
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Ramaphosa made it clear that for the upcoming elections, scheduled to take place on November 4, the ANC would not justify itself on the failures South Africans are continually complaining about. He stated that the party would not seek to explain away the frustration of the people. Leaders have traversed the country over the past several months to report back on progress and listen to what people are unhappy about.
“We will not dismiss the anger that our people feel. We will not ask communities to accept our excuses where they have a right to expect us to do more,” Ramaphosa said.
Over the past several months, the ANC has gone from house to house.
Residents explained that some things are working.
Our people tell us the truth that we accept with pure hearts. When they speak, we humble ourselves as the ANC and say yes, we admit that we have made progress but along the way there have been weaknesses.
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The message is clear, the next phase of local government must be about implementing the policies that we have put out.
Our people tell us that yes, as the ANC you’ve got good policies, you’ve got good values, you’ve got very good traditions that you need to follow, but we now want to see implementation, we want to see action.
Although the initiative to travel the country and listen to constituents is a positive step toward accountability, the disconnect between national policy and local execution remains the primary hurdle for the ruling party.
Without addressing the underlying financial mismanagement and skills shortages within individual municipalities, promises of implementation may continue to fall short of the expectations of residents.
