‘Clock it’ — ANC reheats old election promises in 2026 manifesto

{JSON.stringify(article.attachments[0], null, 2)} --> Struggling under declining voter support, the ANC has pledged tight timelines and targeted interventions on water and electricity to turn around failing municipalities ahead of the local elections.

In Riverside in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, more than 4,000 government-subsidised flats have been developed and handed over to citizens who were once living in informal settlements.

This is where the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), chose to unveil its highly anticipated 2026 local government elections manifesto on Sunday, 23 August, in a place where it could showcase that the party was capable of delivering services.

Support for the party has plummeted from 64.82% in 2006 to just 45.59% in 2021. The dwindling support comes off the back of numerous, and regular, corruption scandals, increasing unemployment, heavily indebted municipalities and failures to provide basic services, including water and electricity.

The political party has begun its election season on the back foot, being one of the few contenders that have yet to name mayoral candidates for the eight metros while other political parties have been campaigning for months. It also announced some eyebrow-raising choices for its possible metro mayoral candidates, including current Johannesburg executive mayor Dada Morero, whose popularity has been doused by persistent water crises driven by ageing infrastructure, high water losses, and maintenance underspending.

Nonetheless, President Cyril Ramaphosa put on an enthusiastic performance at the manifesto launch, even dipping into Internet slang terms like “clock it”, complete with the accompanying hand gestures, perhaps in a bid to appeal to youth voters.

While boasting of the party’s successes, including pointing out that there had been no load shedding for more than 100 days and that there was progress in tackling load reduction, he also acknowledged the impact that service failures and deteriorating infrastructure had on residents’ lives, and proposed recovery plans for ANC-run municipalities.

“As ANC, we admit there has been progress, but there have been weaknesses along the way,” Ramaphosa said.

As a result, the party’s manifesto is heavily focused on implementation. The manifesto includes many of the promises it made during its 2021 election manifesto, including improving municipal functionality, developing and maintaining infrastructure, and acting against corruption and nepotism. It also delivers big promises around the delivery of free basic services and accountable leadership within tight timelines ranging from 100 days to five years.

Provide water, lights and other services that are affordable and work for all .

The party intends to achieve this by making electricity more affordable and prioritising investment in water infrastructure, including dams, pipelines and water treatment centres.