SANDTON, Gauteng — As the African National Congress (ANC) prepares to officially unveil its 2026 mayoral candidates at the Sandton Convention Center, the party is placing a heavy emphasis on reversing past failures in infrastructure maintenance and enforcing strict financial accountability. The highly anticipated announcement covers leadership slates for eight major metros and 22 secondary municipalities, signaling a strategic pivot toward competence, ethical governance, and community-driven service delivery following the party’s historic 40 percent electoral share in the previous national and provincial polls.
The road to this announcement has been defined by a restructured, transparent vetting framework. According to ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) member Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, the party broke from inward-looking traditions by allowing civil society and local community members to nominate prospective leaders. This was followed by a rigorous, multi-tiered evaluation involving 10 regional interview panels, nine provincial panels, and a final national panel at Luthuli House chaired by the ANC President. The questioning was specifically tailored to probe candidates on localized service delivery hurdles, including water provision, waste management, and long-term financial viability.
Addressing the root causes of municipal decay, Ntshalintshali candidly admitted that the party previously “dropped the ball” on infrastructure maintenance. She explained that building infrastructure is futile without allocating the necessary roughly 5 percent of budgets specifically for its upkeep. To prevent future collapses, she described a functional municipality as a “three-legged pot” comprising the executive, the council legislature, and the community.
A core pillar of the ANC’s renewed strategy is municipal self-sustainability. Ntshalintshali stressed that local governments cannot rely indefinitely on national grants; they must actively generate their own revenue. While acknowledging the reality of high unemployment, she clarified that national government already budgets for indigent households earning below R3,500, ensuring that pensioners and the unemployed are exempt from certain property rates and have their basic service delivery covered.
To combat the mismanagement of these funds, the NEC member highlighted the prescriptive safeguards within the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA). She emphasized that corruption thrives in the absence of oversight. The party is mandating strict adherence to monthly and quarterly Section 71 financial reports, alongside active monitoring by Section 79 and 80 council committees. Furthermore, municipal managers appointed under Sections 56 and 57 must be placed on rigorous performance contracts, subject to quarterly reviews to ensure they are executing council-approved mandates. For councilors who may lack formal background knowledge, Ntshalintshali strongly encouraged them to undergo governance and municipal finance training through the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).
Echoing the call for professionalized local government, ANC Treasurer General Gwen Ramakgopa emphasized that running a municipality requires the same acumen as running a corporate business. Ramakgopa noted that the candidate pool boasts a wide spectrum of formal credentials, ranging from diplomas to PhDs. For those with extensive practical experience but lacking formal degrees, she suggested leveraging institutions like UNISA for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to validate their capabilities.
Ramakgopa also reaffirmed the party’s commitment to its 50/50 gender representation policy, noting its particular significance during Women’s Month to ensure female leaders are at the forefront of local economic development. Drawing on her advisory experience in the presidency regarding the district development model, she asserted that every district in South Africa holds untapped economic potential that requires strategic, knowledgeable leadership to unlock.
The atmosphere at the convention center reflected the high stakes of the 2026 local government elections. ANC Chairperson Gwede Mantashe was noted for engaging the crowd ahead of the formal proceedings, while Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo was also in attendance, underscoring the national government’s focus on local service delivery.
The event is slated to culminate with a keynote address from ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula, who is expected to deliver the official marching orders to the newly endorsed candidates. As these individuals step forward to face the electorate, their immediate challenge will be to prove that this revamped selection process translates into tangible, accountable, and responsive governance for South Africa’s communities.
