The African National Congress (ANC) has identified fixing local government and improving basic service delivery as its top priority for 2026.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the party’s annual January 8 statement at Moruleng Stadium in the North West on Saturday.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that weak municipal governance and failing service delivery are among the main factors contributing to the decline in public trust in the ANC.
He said the party must urgently address local government challenges if it hopes to regain voters’ confidence.
Ramaphosa has raised concerns in his January statement about the state of local government, warning the ANC risks losing its support base if it fails to improve service delivery.
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He emphasised that basic challenges such as water shortages, ongoing power cuts, potholes and corruption continue to damage the ANC’s image.
Ramaphosa adds that although load shedding has ended, municipal load reduction remains a serious concern, as electricity is often cut to densely populated communities due to overburdened infrastructure.
“Municipal load reduction continues to disrupt daily life. Load reduction is a mechanism municipalities use to manage debt
to Eskom.”
Ramaphosa said local government must be given maximum attention this year.