JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — As the race for the November municipal polls heats up, the ANC local government elections strategy is heavily focused on reversing voter frustration over basic utilities. During a high-stakes briefing at Luthuli House, party leadership placed housing, electricity, and water infrastructure firmly under the microscope, aiming to rebuild public confidence amid a shifting political landscape defined by fragile coalitions and high service delivery expectations.
Confronting the Water Security Crisis
Water scarcity has emerged as a primary flashpoint for community unrest, with numerous service delivery protests erupting over severe outages this year. Bulk provider Rand Water has pointed to aging municipal pipelines and rapid population expansion as the main culprits for the shortages. While critics accuse the state of long-term infrastructural neglect and poor demographic planning, African National Congress (ANC) representatives countered by highlighting recent executive interventions. This includes an escalated national water plan unveiled by the president last month in Hammanskraal, alongside progress reports aimed at resolving bottlenecks caused by delayed reservoir projects that have exacerbated regional shortages.
Grid Stability and Privatization Anxieties
On the energy front, the party acknowledged the stark disparity between the recent suspension of national rolling blackouts and the persistent, localized power cuts that continue to trigger protests, particularly in southern regions. Beyond grid stability, the financial burden on citizens remains a major hurdle following July’s electricity tariff hikes. Officials also addressed public anxiety surrounding the unbundling of the national power utility and the proposed shift toward private ownership, emphasizing the need to carefully manage privatization to protect low-income households from unsustainable energy costs.
Dismantling the 2.6 Million Housing Deficit
Human settlements feature prominently in the party’s municipal pitch. The country is currently grappling with a massive backlog of 2.6 million housing units, leaving countless citizens waiting for formal structures and elusive title deeds. Furthermore, roughly 4,000 informal settlements remain active across the nation. The Minister of Human Settlements was scheduled to join the Luthuli House briefing to detail actionable strategies to dismantle this backlog and accelerate property delivery ahead of the polls.
Electoral Decline and the Coalition Dilemma
Beyond physical infrastructure, the briefing served as a barometer for the party’s political standing. The ruling party’s electoral support has seen a notable downward trajectory in the municipal sphere, dropping to just under 54% in 2016 and falling further to 45.6% in the 2021 local government elections—its lowest performance since 1994.
This steady decline has fundamentally altered local governance, resulting in hung councils and a rise in coalition administrations. Despite this reality, both the ANC and the official opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA), have maintained vocal stances against participating in local coalitions. Interestingly, both parties have expressed a strong preference for outright majorities and governing alone, a rigid posture that persists even as both organizations currently collaborate at the national level within the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Ultimately, the success of the ANC’s current strategy hinges on its ability to leverage tangible improvements in housing, water, and electricity to reverse recent electoral trends and secure a decisive mandate from the voting public.
