PRETORIA, Gauteng — As South Africa approaches a critical voting period, the ruling party is setting its ANC election manifesto apart by offering what it calls a “frank balance sheet” of the nation’s service delivery record. Instead of relying solely on historical triumphs, senior government officials are using the manifesto’s platform to address the stark contrast between major national infrastructure projects and the daily realities of failing local municipalities.
During a detailed briefing on the party’s service delivery goals, leadership acknowledged that while the democratic dividend has expanded significantly since 2002, structural and political deficits at the local level require urgent, systemic intervention.
Securing the Grid and the Water Supply
Addressing the macro-level infrastructure landscape, Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo pushed back against narratives suggesting South Africa is on the brink of a water scarcity crisis. Mahlobo pointed to the rapid advancement of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which is currently sitting at 57% completion.
Following recent site inspections by President Cyril Ramaphosa and other senior leaders to assess the embankment and commissioning phases, Mahlobo confirmed that new bridge infrastructure is being opened to facilitate the transfer of close to a billion cubic meters of water annually. This massive influx, he noted, will effectively neutralize water security concerns in Gauteng, creating a “win-win situation” for the province.
On the energy front, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa offered a sobering perspective on the power grid. While acknowledging the suspension of national rolling blackouts, Ramokgopa stressed that the government cannot celebrate the end of load shedding while vulnerable communities remain subjected to localized “load reduction.”
A Candid Look at the Statistics
The upcoming ANC election manifesto will serve as a comprehensive audit of basic services. Ramokgopa highlighted that household electricity access has surged from 76.7% in 2002 to approximately 92% today. Similarly, access to sanitation has climbed from 61% to roughly 84%, and by 2024, 87.7% of households had piped water on site.
However, the ministers did not shy away from the ground-level failures that contradict these macro-statistics. Ramokgopa conceded that having a pipe on site is meaningless if the taps run dry or if the water is unsafe for consumption. He directly addressed the tragedy of the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal and the widespread issue of spilling sewers, admitting that the quality and reliability of services remain a severe challenge in various districts.
The Debate Over “Broken” Local Government
A central theme of the briefing was the state of local municipalities, particularly in response to critiques from alliance partners. SALGA President Bheke Stofile has previously asserted that local government is fundamentally broken, largely due to political interference.
Responding to this assessment, Ramokgopa argued against a universal condemnation of the sector, describing the municipal landscape as a “differentiated experience.” He pointed to “pockets of excellence” where municipalities successfully pass funded budgets, secure clean audits from the Auditor-General, attract private investment, and broaden democratic spaces.
Conversely, he admitted that other municipalities are effectively in the ICU—unable to collect refuse, repair potholes, or pay salaries and creditors on time. Ramokgopa noted that many of these struggling areas are heavily grant-dependent and lack the economic base to maintain their own infrastructure, making them entirely reliant on national and provincial support.
Professionalization and Consequence Management
To bridge the gap between national policy ambitions and local execution, the manifesto proposes a radical professionalization of the local government sector. Ramokgopa explained that political interference has often led to the appointment of underqualified municipal managers and chief financial officers (CFOs) based on political loyalty rather than technical expertise.
The proposed manifesto interventions include mandating minimum professional qualifications for key roles—for instance, requiring that heads of infrastructure and engineering services be professionally registered engineers. Furthermore, the party aims to redraw the boundaries between political administration and operational management, ensuring that consequence management is applied fairly and not shielded by a candidate’s proximity to the political elite.
Ultimately, the government maintains that while the narrative of total systemic collapse is inaccurate, the current pace of service delivery is falling short of public expectations. By confronting these political and structural bottlenecks head-on, officials believe the manifesto provides a clinical, actionable roadmap to rescue struggling municipalities and accelerate universal access to basic services.
