ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa delivering the January 8 Statement at Moruleng Stadium, North West.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has issued a stern warning that all members will be required to campaign for the party ahead of local government elections expected later this year.
“We want to make it clear: all ANC members will be required, as per the (party) Constitution, to campaign for ANC victory in the forthcoming local government elections,”
Ramaphosa said while delivering the January 8 statement of the national executive committee (NEC) at Maruleng Stadium in the North West to mark its founding 114 years ago.
“There must be no confusion. Winning the local government elections decisively will enable the ANC to lead communities in the forward march towards a truly non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, united and prosperous society.”
His remarks come as the ANC faces its most challenging local government elections since coming to power at the end of apartheid rule in 1994.
For the first time since the advent of democracy, the ANC’s support fell below the 50% threshold required to govern the country outright, in May 2024 general elections. Three years earlier, the party had been forced to enter into coalitions in several municipalities after failing to secure outright victories in local government elections.
Previously, particularly during the tenure of former president Jacob Zuma, senior party figures such as former president Thabo Mbeki refused to campaign for the ANC, citing concerns about corruption within the organisation.
Thousands of party supporters packed the stadium on Saturday, while many others were stranded outside due to severe traffic congestion. Supporters were stuck for hours on roads leading to the venue, with some resorting to walking long distances to beat the traffic.
Ramaphosa said the party must acknowledge its weaknesses and failures, including poor service delivery, governance challenges, the slow pace of economic growth and high levels of unemployment, which have demoralised and alienated many communities.
He said the ANC could not blame people for questioning whether democracy, the Constitution, the economy and even the ANC and its alliance partners truly worked for them.
“Too often, public trust in local government is undermined by councillors who are distant from their constituents and perceived as unresponsive to local problems. It is imperative that ANC councillors reconnect with their wards and restore public trust,” he said.
“Last year, at the councillor roll call meeting, we said that every ANC ward must have an active ward committee. Councillors and branch members ahead of 2026 must undertake regular door-to-door work and provide feedback on service delivery issues. Even when problems cannot be resolved immediately, councillors must communicate and support residents.”
Ramaphosa reiterated that ANC councillors must build close working relationships with community organisations to ensure two-way communication, engagement and feedback on local issues.
He added that renewal must be both personal and organisational, saying individual ANC members must demonstrate through their daily conduct that they represented the best values of the movement.
“We must once again be known for upholding the highest standards of excellence, integrity, humility, hard work and competence,” he said.
“We will run the ANC strictly, with zero tolerance for corruption, ill-discipline and factionalism. We will govern our country effectively, ethically and competently.”
The NEC had introduced a new accountability framework to hold all ANC elected leaders and public representatives accountable, Ramaphosa said.
“We are implementing a monitoring, evaluation and performance system. The 5th National general council, held in December 2025, stressed the need to enforce consequence management for non-performance and misconduct, while visibly promoting meritocracy, integrity and competence.”