The ANC is reading the dark mood in the room before the forthcoming local government elections. But President Cyril Ramaphosa’s party is struggling to come up with a coherent battle plan.
At the weekend, the party’s national executive committee (NEC) met in a special two-day session to discuss the state of municipalities. Unsurprisingly, the assessment confirmed what is known: this all-important sphere of government is like a falling knife.
The ANC is correct to be concerned and even to panic. After all, it has the largest number of councillors in the country’s municipalities.
Most opinion polls show a continued decline in the electoral fortunes of the country’s largest political party. In the past two elections, the ANC has lost key metros and secondary cities. For example, in Gauteng it remains in power in Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg by being propped up with the support of smaller parties. In certain instances, it has used smaller parties as its proxies. The latter formulation is responsible for the instability.
Service delivery is in free-fall. Mayors spend time putting out fires over basic services such as water, roads and electricity. Every year the auditor-general paints an ever-deteriorating picture of municipalities. The finances are chaotic and unstable; credit ratings are worsening.
After expressing shock at the poor state of Johannesburg, Ramaphosa set up a “bomb squad” to stop the collapse in the city that is hosting the G20 in a month. This is one of several government-led initiatives to rescue failing municipalities. The private sector has also stepped in through capacity-building interventions such as the National Business Initiative.
Accounts from the NEC suggest that the assessments were candid and less defensive than before.
On Monday, the party summoned all its councillors to a Johannesburg stadium. A key part of the event, largely a public relations gimmick, was a pledge by these public representatives to put service delivery at the core of their mandate.
Party grandees such as Frank Chikane, chair of the ANC’s integrity commission, used his address as a call to return to morality and denounce corruption and fraud. This resonated.
However, portions of an address by the party leader seem to have backfired. One section, in particular, has become the subject of derision and ridicule. As part of his motivational address, Ramaphosa encouraged his councillors to learn from one another and, controversially, to learn from well-run municipalities under the control of the DA. The DA, the country’s second-largest party, has been running the Cape Town metro for years. It is using this city as a template for what it plans to do with other municipalities that it wins.
The reference to the DA has divided his party. Some have reacted with anger; others believe it was a gaffe by their leader and felt that even if it were true, it ought not have been expressed on a public platform.
Social media has been replete with pushback against this part of the message.
This is not the first time Ramaphosa has found himself in trouble. A few years ago, he called his party Accused Number One in an open letter to his members. This attracted a serious backlash, including a counterattack by Jacob Zuma, his predecessor, who has since formed his own party.
The sideshow sparked by Ramaphosa’s reference to the DA has obscured the core message of his address. Its aim was to tell his comrades that the writing is on the wall: if there is no course correction, the party will lose more metros and the power of patronage.
On a far more serious note, however, the party needs an introspection about how it lost the public’s trust. Regaining it will require a clear, substantive plan, not a public performance. This should be shared with the electorate, not catchy sound bites.
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