Ramaphosa admits ANC failings as municipal elections loom

President Cyril Ramaphosa lectured his African National Congress (ANC) party for failing to meet the basic needs of many South Africans as it prepares to face crucial municipal elections within the next year.

Addressing a half-empty stadium with a capacity of just 20 000 in the country’s North West province, Ramaphosa listed a litany of issues ailing the country, many of them acute in areas led by the ANC.

They range from dysfunctional municipalities and a lack of basic services to chronic unemployment and rampant crime.

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The ANC relies on its so-called alliance partners – the South African Communist Party and many labour unions – for support.

“Our own weaknesses and failures in service delivery, governance, the slow pace of economic growth and high levels of unemployment have demoralised and alienated many individuals and communities,” he said.

“We cannot blame our people if they question whether our democracy, our Constitution, our economy and indeed the ANC and the alliance really work for them.”

Ramaphosa’s chiding of his party to deliver services in the areas it governs has become a common refrain for the president in the wake of the ANC losing its national majority for the first time since the advent of democracy in the 2024 elections.

Declining support

With opinion polls showing the party could now lose control of key cities such as Johannesburg, Ramaphosa is trying to bolster support during a week in which ANC chair Gwede Mantashe angered elements of his own party by saying the young and unemployed were overly reliant on the state and don’t do enough to look for work.

Read: SA is no country for young people

Newspaper reports in the past week have been dominated by stories of ANC leaders including Ramaphosa being assailed by residents over services and the poor state of infrastructure in North West province.

Having formed a coalition government in the wake of the 2024 election, Ramaphosa talked up the few successes the government can lay claim to.

Recurrent power cuts due to a shortage of supply effectively came to an end last year, and he spoke of plans to spend R54 billion ($3.3 billion) on electricity and water infrastructure this year. The president also pointed to improved freight rail service.

Turning point

“After 15 years of low growth we are beginning to approach the point where the economy is at a turning point,” he said in a speech that lasted more than an hour.

The economy expanded for four straight quarters in the year to 30 September, its longest growth run since 2021 when it was recovering from the Covid pandemic.

Listen/read: Is the ANC’s economic plan viable?

Ramaphosa laid out a number of priorities for the party, which has been hit by repeated corruption scandals, including making visible its efforts to renew itself and improve its flagging reputation.

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Without directly mentioning the US, Ramaphosa also took the opportunity to criticise Afrikaner fringe groups that have latched onto US President Donald Trump’s debunked accusation that white farmers in the country are suffering a genocide.

They are seeking “to attract sympathy from global racist movements and individuals”, he said. “We refuse to be bullied by anyone here or around the world.”

Read: Trump’s Afrikaners are South African opportunists, not refugees

But his main focus was on the difficulties faced by his party, which played the leading role in bringing freedom to South Africans by fighting against apartheid, in retaining the confidence of voters.

“We must understand we either renew the ANC and the alliance or we perish,” he said.

© 2026 Bloomberg

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