LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026 ANALYSIS: ANC manifesto: Good to look at, nice to read — but hard to believe

The ANC acknowledges its failures, but can it fix the problems it created? We put its local government election pitch through our Manifesto Test.

This is how honest the ANC is about the party’s failings: “Many municipalities do not work as they should.”

“Citizens know this from the tap that runs out of water too often, from the streetlight on the corner that goes dark too often, from the bill that arrives with a number that nobody can explain,” its manifesto reads.

Communities continue to experience “unreliable services, deteriorating infrastructure, slow implementation, financial distress and, in some municipalities, corruption and weak leadership”.

Here is how the ANC’s promises measure against the Daily Maverick Manifesto Test .

The ANC says communities continue to experience “dry taps, burst pipes, sewer spillages” and ageing infrastructure.

It promises to “provide reliable water and dignified sanitation by repairing and upgrading ageing infrastructure, reducing water losses and leaks, eliminating sewer spillages, improving water demand management and wastewater treatment”.

Municipalities must also develop alternative water sources, including “groundwater, water reuse, desalination and rainwater harvesting”.

The manifesto sets one important numerical target: non-revenue water must fall below 30% in every metropolitan municipality.

It also says every municipality must invest at least 8% of the value of its assets annually in infrastructure maintenance and renewal.

Verdict: It’s an unambitious promise. Controlling leaks and budgeting for infrastructure maintenance is Governance 101.

The ANC says the national progress in ending load shedding “must be matched by improvements in our municipalities”.

It promises to “deliver reliable, affordable and resilient electricity” by upgrading municipal distribution networks, expanding network capacity and smart metering, reducing outages and improving fault response times.

Municipalities must also reduce technical and non-technical losses, strengthen their ability to generate electricity and protect infrastructure from theft, vandalism and illegal connections.