As South Africa (SA) prepares for local government elections later this year, the African National Congress (ANC) has begun efforts to regain ground lost in the 2021 polls.

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged party structures to focus on fixing local government performance as a way of restoring public trust. In the last municipal elections, the ANC lost its outright majority in four major metropolitan municipalities,Tshwane, Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay and Ekurhuleni, marking a historic setback for the party.

Addressing delegates at an ANC leadership meeting in Johannesburg over the weekend, Ramaphosa stressed the need for the full implementation of the party’s Local Government Action Plan.

He said the plan reinforces the party’s constitutional responsibility to remain rooted in communities, calling for consistent engagement through door-to-door campaigns and direct communication with residents.

Ramaphosa acknowledged that rebuilding trust would require sustained effort, particularly ahead of the upcoming elections, and said reconnecting with communities must be treated as a priority if the ANC is to recover lost support at the local level.

–ChannelAfrica–