An environmental activist says the election outcome should force the ANC to confront years of ignored warnings and residents' grievances.
The ANC has suffered a significant electoral blow in Gauteng’s Boipatong, with residents grappling with the sewage crisis turning to the DA in the local government elections.
The results have added a political twist to the long-running sewage crisis in the embattled Emfuleni municipality, where residents have repeatedly had raw sewage flowing into their homes.
Sewage crisis fuels ANC election losses
Modise Molefe, environmental activist and president of the Reliable Environmental Protection and Care Agency, who has been at the forefront of escalating the Boipatong sewage disaster to national government, said the election outcome should serve as a warning to the ANC leadership.
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In an open letter addressed to President Cyril Ramaphosa and his deputy, Paul Mashatile, Molefe said the ANC had ignored repeated warnings from independent voices about the consequences of failing to address residents’ grievances.
“This is the time to say ‘I told you so’. You ignored my presence and my humble counsel and the consequences of your actions have now been decisively registered by the voters,” he wrote.
His comments come as the DA made major gains in Emfuleni, winning 34 of the municipality’s 45 wards, compared with 11 for the ANC.
The DA secured 40.5% of the ward vote, against the ANC’s 24%.
The DA also won key voting districts in Boipatong and Tshepiso, signalling a significant shift in areas where the ANC has historically enjoyed strong support.
Activist warns ANC against ignoring residents
Molefe warned that the ANC risked losing further support if it continued to dismiss criticism and failed to listen to residents and independent civic voices.
“I urge you to look through my past communications if you wish to prevent the ANC from meeting the same fate as the National Party. Where is that party today? It is history,” he said.
He said the local government election results should be viewed as the foretaste of the next national elections, adding that political leaders needed to engage people outside their party structures.
Molefe said his interventions were not motivated by allegiance to any political party, but by concerns about governance and constitutional democracy.
“I do not belong to any political formation. My interests do not lie in fighting or opposing any political party, but leaders must listen to independent voices,” he wrote.
Coalition talks loom after DA’s ward victories
The sewage crisis in Boipatong has featured prominently in investigations highlighting the impact of municipal failures on residents.
The DA has 37 of the municipality’s 90 council seats, short of the 46 needed to govern alone, leaving coalition negotiations ahead.
Political analyst Solly Masilela said the results might cause further internal divisions within the ANC.
