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 quality of life of communities and would continue beyond the elections.
“The priority is water,” Mashatile said, noting that the challenge was not a lack of water in dams, but ageing and poorly maintained reticulation infrastructure that hampers supply.
Roads, particularly municipal roads in rural areas, were also highlighted as a major concern.
Mashatile added that recent heavy rains had washed away sections of roads and exacerbated pothole damage.
He said the ANC’s recent anniversary celebrations in the North West, where the party spent time campaigning on the ground, had underscored the dire state of internal roads in many communities.
On energy, Mashatile said while the country had largely overcome load shedding — with supply expected to remain stable as the Energy Availability Factor remains above 70% — communities were now grappling with load reduction caused by illegal connections that damage infrastructure.
Mashatile said unemployment remained one of the most pressing challenges facing communities.
Government plans to address this through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), which will employ thousands of people to repair roads and social infrastructure such as schools, and to build bridges, particularly in flood-affected areas of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
This work will be undertaken through the Welisizwe programme led by the Department of Public Works.
The proposed War Room will be housed in the Office of the Secretary-General and will track the implementation of these interventions.
“Success will depend on how we work with communities,” Mashatile said, adding that NEC members would be deployed to regions and districts across the country.
He said the ANC intended to deploy councillors who were “capable” and “fit for purpose” to work effectively with municipal administrations.
Mashatile also acknowledged the challenge posed by fragile coalitions, which have characterised local government since 2016.
He said the ANC had led the development of a legislative framework to govern coalitions, which would culminate in the adoption of the Coalitions Bill.
“The key to stable coalitions is to put the interests of communities ahead of those of parties or individuals,” he said.
Masemola confirmed that the review of the 1998 White Paper on Local Government, part of Operation Vulindlela II, was expected to be concluded by March this year.
One of the most contentious issues is a proposal by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) to increase the equitable share allocated to municipalities.
Currently, local government receives 9% of nationally raised revenue, while provinces receive 41% and national departments 50%. Increasing the local government share would require reductions in the other two spheres — a move likely to generate tension in the year ahead.
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