MANGAUNG, Free State — As the 2026 Local Government Elections approach next month, municipal service delivery has emerged as the defining battleground for political parties across South Africa. From sewage-filled streets and potholes to unreliable water supplies, uncollected rubbish, and crumbling roads, basic services are at the forefront of the national agenda. Political formations are currently criss-crossing the country, promising to fix municipalities and restore public confidence among frustrated voters.
In Mangaung, where years of government intervention have failed to resolve persistent service-delivery crises, the ruling party is taking a hardline approach. The municipality has been under government intervention since 2019, yet infrastructure, sanitation, and waste management problems continue to plague the area.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa, while campaigning in the Free State, put local municipal leaders on notice, demanding visible improvements within days. Addressing residents who have openly expressed their frustrations over sewage spills, deteriorating roads, and uncollected refuse, Ramaphosa warned that communities can no longer be expected to live alongside rubbish and rats, which pose severe health hazards.
Ramaphosa expressed particular disturbance over the illegal dumping on main roads, noting that it makes the city and townships incredibly ugly. “I have raised this very sharply with our municipality,” Ramaphosa stated, insisting that local leaders must attend to these challenges immediately. He issued a direct directive to the municipality: when he returns, he expects to see the city and the townships where people live significantly cleaner.
However, the ANC is not the only party making basic service delivery the central issue of their campaign.
Hundreds of kilometers away in the North West, the African People’s Convention (APC) is targeting rural and historically neglected communities. Contesting in 58 municipalities across seven provinces, the APC attributes the collapse of basic services directly to corruption and weak municipal leadership.
APC President Themba Godi emphasized the party’s commitment to reaching marginalized areas that are often overlooked during election cycles. Acknowledging the logistical struggles of even reaching these remote locations, Godi highlighted the daily, lived realities faced by the residents.
“It has always been the tradition of the APC to go to those godforsaken places to ensure that our people feel that they are part of this democracy, and that there are people—there are leaders—who care about their well-being,” Godi said. He pledged the party’s solidarity with the people of the municipality and district, offering hope rooted in the APC’s political history of identifying with the poorest citizens in villages, informal settlements, and rural areas.
From Mangaung to Mahikeng, Modimolle, and the Western Cape, the campaign trails reveal a unified national crisis. While different political parties are offering varying manifestos, the core concerns confronting voters remain strikingly identical. With election day imminent, the ultimate test for these political formations will be translating their campaign promises into functioning, reliable municipal services once the votes are counted.
