Lekgotla: ANC to focus on water, roads and quality of deployees to fix local government

By Thebe Mabanga

The ANC will prioritise water, roads and energy, with a specific focus on load reduction, and deploy councillors who are “fit for purpose” as part of a broader effort to fix failing local government.

The party will also establish a War Room, to be overseen by its Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, to monitor progress in stabilising municipalities.

This emerged on the sidelines of the second day of the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) Lekgotla, held at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.

Fixing local government has been identified as a key priority in the year ahead of the local government elections, expected later this year or early next year.

The workstream is led by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, alongside Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Dr Dickson Masemola.

Mashatile dismissed suggestions that the interventions were driven by electoral considerations, saying they were aimed at improving the