Manifesto review confirms ANC progress and lessons learnt, claims Potgieter

The head of policy at the ANC, Febe Potgieter, reflecting on the party’s recent analysis of its promises to the electorate in the last local government election, says the conclusions confirm the party’s substantial progress.

“The foundations for further improvement are firmly in place. The democratic government has expanded the social and physical infrastructure available to millions of households.

“The review also identified where maintenance, governance, financial sustainability and institutional capability must be strengthened so that the benefits of this transformation are experienced more consistently across communities.”

Potgieter said the ANC, in its presentation of the local government interventions components of its review of the 2021 manifesto, looked at a wider assessment of commitments made in 2021.

The policy head said her party approached the review with a simple obligation to tell South Africans what had been done, what had improved, what had not worked and the different measures pursued.

“The review is an exercise in responsible leadership and democratic accountability and begins with a record of work done to change the conditions of millions of South Africans, to expand access to electricity, water, sanitation, housing and security of tenure.”

She said it also listened carefully to communities where services had not been reliable and the quality had not been as expected.

“The ANC believes that confidence is strengthened when progress is recognised, challenges are honestly acknowledged and explained, with practical measures in place to sustain improvement.”

In 2021, Luthuli House promised to improve municipal functionality and financial viability, to deploy skilled leadership and capable management, and to strengthen community participation.

This previous bouquet of promises also included a commitment to maintain and expand infrastructure, improve oversight and accountability, and clamp down on corruption, nepotism, tender rigging and maladministration.

“These were not peripheral undertakings, they went to the heart of whether democratic, developmental local government could translate national transformation into reliable services, dignified settlements and functional local communities.

Potgieter suggested that the ANC had implemented significant parts of the programmes entrusted to it, even as municipalities buckled from pressures.

She listed rapid urbanisation, population growth, constrained revenue, ageing infrastructure and rising service delivery demands as some hindrances in their journey.

“Where progress has been slower than intended, the ANC is applying lessons from implementation to strengthen delivery. This is the purpose of accountability, not to diminish what has been achieved, but to protect those gains and improve the pace, quality and reliability of future delivery.

Potgieter insisted that the party’s review confirmed the substantial expansion of basic services and human settlements during the democratic era. But, she conceded, reliability, maintenance, financial governance and institutional capacities required further attention.

However, “importantly, it [the review] records that municipal turnarounds, a focused political leadership, professional administration, stronger revenue management and community partnerships have produced measurable results,” she added.

Potgieter maintained that these examples provided a practical model for extending improvement across the local government system.

“The ANC’s 2021 manifesto promise that we will do better to serve our people in every municipality, deliver better services and build thriving communities, recognises that local government is where the democratic state’s legitimacy is tested most directly.”

The policy head stated that it is through water, sanitation, electricity, roads, refuse removal, public spaces, planning approvals, rates accounts, and the conduct of their councillors and officials that communities experience their municipalities.

“A municipality may have an adopted plan and balanced budget, but if services are unreliable and residents feel unheard, then government is not fulfilling its constitutional purpose.

“The manifesto also recognises that municipalities do not operate in isolation; delivery requires municipalities to work with national and provincial government, with communities, civil society and business.”

Potgieter said the constitutional system is interdependent, with bulk water, housing grants, electricity supply, transport investment, land release and fiscal transfers requiring co-ordination across all three spheres of government.

“The district development model and the one-plan approach are therefore intended to improve this alignment. Progress has been made in establishing common planning platforms, but the review is clear that co-ordination must be measured by planning, allocation of resources, completed projects and improved services — not only by the number of meetings held.”

Potgieter referred to the white paper review on local government as a tool to strengthen transformation in the sector.

The 2026 white paper on local government is due for approval and publication in September 2026 and is expected to address the systemic challenges that affect local government after the first 30 years.

Potgieter said it aligns with their ANC review.

“It is focused on restoring the law and enforcing accountability, one local government system with differentiated powers and functions, professional administration, rebuilding community relationships, including a structured role of traditional and Khoisan leadership based on an agreed compact, the reset of finance and service provision, and spatial transformation, growth and resilience.”

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