It is because of what these millions did that our people know from their own experience that today is better than yesterday and are confident that tomorrow will be better than today.

The importance of local government cannot be overemphasised due to the mandate of municipalities to provide basic services such as water, electricity, roads and sanitation.

The functioning of municipalities is also crucial to enable businesses to function and prosper, schools to educate and develop our children, and to create employment through local economic development.

In our province, there are 17 local municipalities in three district municipalities. We are fully aware of the challenges that our municipalities are facing. As a result, through the Mpumalanga Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, we recently launched the Provincial Municipal Performance Turnaround Forum.

This intervention aims to strictly enforce internal controls, fast track bulk water and sewer piping projects, and hold municipal managers accountable to help municipalities move away from poor audits and ensure basic services are delivered as required.

To read the supplement, click HERE

The ANC in Mpumalanga recommits itself to building better communities, and we will deliver on the following commitments in the first 100 days in office. In every ward, we will repair streetlights, fix potholes, stop water leaks and sewage spills, clear illegal dumping sites, unblock stormwater drains, cut overgrown vegetation, clean public spaces, and repair road markings and signage, with residents, business, labour and community structures working alongside the municipality.

As the ANC, we have the necessary experience, institutional memory and the political will to turn around local government to serve our people and continue to build.