RIVERSIDE, Johannesburg — The African National Congress (ANC) is officially launching its 2026 local government elections manifesto today, marking a strategic push to strengthen municipalities and overhaul basic service delivery across South Africa. ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu emphasized that the comprehensive policy document, developed through extensive community consultations, prioritizes the replication of successful mixed-use housing developments nationwide to sustainably improve the quality of life for citizens.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Bhengu highlighted Riverside and Diepsloot as current “pockets of excellence” in human settlements. These areas feature well-maintained, integrated developments combining bonded and RDP houses. The ANC aims to replicate this model in other regions, including Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, Newcastle, and Richards Bay, with the latter envisioned as a secondary city designed to support and feed surrounding rural communities. The Riverside site also features planned infrastructure, including a new school and a temporary clinic structure, to realize the ideal of integrated development where residents can live, learn, play, travel, and access retail locally.
The manifesto launch follows a rigorous internal review of the promises made by the party in 2021. Bhengu acknowledged that this review revealed glaring weaknesses in the institutional architecture of local government, citing instances of incompetence, ineptness, and the underpreparedness of some public representatives. In response, the ANC has revised its candidate selection guidelines to raise the qualification bar for mayors, proportional representation (PR) candidates, and ward councilors. The performance records of incumbents will now be heavily weighed to determine their suitability for returning to local government, while still leveraging the party’s extensive governance experience to identify what works.
Addressing systemic challenges, Bhengu noted that the manifesto will propose a new funding model for local government. This comes in response to severe resourcing challenges and the need to improve financial governance capabilities at the municipal level.
Furthermore, the ANC admitted to historical shortcomings in communicating its achievements. Bhengu pointed to millions of South Africans gaining access to clean water since 1994, the ongoing launch of mega human settlements by provincial leadership, the conversion of former mining towns like Carletonville into decent residential facilities, and the country’s unique provision of free housing and healthcare on a massive scale. The party recognizes the need to systematically showcase these successes while maintaining a humble approach to its service delivery mandate.
On the critical issue of accountability, Bhengu reaffirmed the party’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption. He highlighted the establishment of the Madlanga Commission and historic Special Investigating Unit (SIU) proclamations as evidence of the ANC government’s commitment to recovering funds lost or redirected to wrong hands. Bhengu stressed that this self-correction model applies universally, even when investigations implicate members of the ANC itself, ensuring that the party’s legacy of service remains focused on the needs and expectations of the South African people.