JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — As the 2026 Local Government Elections approach, the African National Congress (ANC) is mobilizing to reverse its recent electoral trajectory and reclaim municipal confidence, according to ANC Deputy Secretary General Nomvula Mokonyane. Addressing the party’s state of readiness, Mokonyane detailed both the ongoing legal challenge against the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) over candidate submissions and a renewed, insourced approach to local service delivery.
The ANC has formally filed papers with the Electoral Court seeking to overturn the IEC’s decision to reject the party’s candidate nominations in six municipalities. The affected areas include the Mangaung Metro, Port St. John’s, and Walter Sisulu Local Municipalities, alongside other municipalities in the Eastern Cape and one in Gauteng. While the ANC attributes the missed deadline to technical challenges within the IEC’s submission system, the IEC maintains its systems functioned properly until the cutoff on Friday, 28 August 2026, at 5:00 PM. Mokonyane emphasized that the ANC successfully submitted 98 percent of its candidate lists and is approaching the Electoral Court to clarify the sequence of events, acknowledging that internal lessons must be learned regarding last-minute administrative processes.
This legal dispute unfolds against the backdrop of the ANC’s push to reverse its historical electoral trajectory in municipal polls. The party’s performance in Local Government Elections has seen a gradual decline from its peak: securing 58% in the 1995/96 Local Government Elections, rising to 64.8% in the 2000 Local Government Elections, and peaking at 66.35% in the 2006 Local Government Elections. However, support subsequently dipped to 63.65% in the 2011 Local Government Elections, fell to 53.91% in the 2016 Local Government Elections, and dropped below the majority threshold to 47.52% in the 2021 Local Government Elections.
To counter this trend, the party is aiming for a decisive 50 percent plus one majority in the upcoming polls. Mokonyane noted that while the ANC currently leads in 167 metros and local municipalities, a higher voter turnout is the primary metric for a successful 2026 campaign. Should an outright majority prove elusive, the party remains open to forming coalitions with reliable partners who align with its six core municipal priorities.
Central to the ANC’s campaign is its manifesto, launched on 23 August 2026 in Diepsloot, Johannesburg. The platform heavily emphasizes direct service delivery and infrastructure reliability, including expanded electricity allocations, guaranteed free basic services, and the insourcing of municipal maintenance to eliminate reliance on external contractors and tender processes.
A cornerstone of this renewed strategy is a strict 100-day post-election action plan. Mokonyane pledged that within the first 100 days, ANC-led municipalities will directly employ local workers to repair streetlights, fix potholes, stop water leaks and sewer spills, clear illegal dumping sites, and unblock stormwater drains. This initiative is designed to demonstrate immediate, visible municipal capacity and reverse the trend of outsourced core responsibilities.
Defending the party’s track record, Mokonyane highlighted several achievements since 2021. These include the cessation of nationwide load shedding (while acknowledging ongoing challenges with load reduction and illegal connections), successful presidential and provincial interventions to stabilize struggling municipalities like Ditsobotla in the North West, and the restoration of indigent registers and title deed processes in major metros like Johannesburg. Furthermore, the ANC has committed to reducing non-revenue water to below 30 percent in every metro and mandating that at least 8 percent of municipal asset value be spent annually on maintenance and renewal.
The party has also overhauled its mayoral candidate selection process. For the first time, the ANC interviewed over 250 mayoral candidates for metros and secondary cities. Rather than making immediate announcements, the party has deployed shortlisted candidates to campaign on the ground in key areas like Johannesburg, allowing them to prove their capability to voters before final selections are officially made prior to the 4 November election date.
Addressing the broader political landscape, Mokonyane outlined a grassroots-focused strategy for KwaZulu-Natal. Following the party’s challenging 2024 provincial results, she stressed that the ANC is prioritizing local renewal, voter vigilance, and direct community engagement over engaging in rhetorical battles with the MK party. Regarding the South African Communist Party (SACP) contesting the elections independently, Mokonyane affirmed that the ANC respects their democratic right to do so, choosing instead to focus on the ANC’s own governance record and future plans.
Finally, Mokonyane took aim at the political tactics of opposition rivals, specifically citing Democratic Alliance (DA) mayoral candidate Helen Zille. She criticized Zille for recently taking premature public credit for scheduled city repairs, such as resurfacing work on Malibongu Drive, by filming promotional videos in waders. Mokonyane described this as typical political maneuvering that exploits advance knowledge of municipal schedules, and she urged ANC councilors to improve their own community communication to ensure residents know which projects are already planned and funded by the city.
The ANC’s electoral committee is scheduled to provide further national briefings on the candidate list resolutions and campaign deployments as the November elections draw nearer.
