Job opportunities, safer communities, free basic services: The ANC’s offer to voters

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday evening presented the governing party’s 2021 local government elections (LGE) manifesto in Church Square, Tshwane.

While admitting the ANC’s numerous failures in local government, Ramaphosa said the 1 November polls would herald a new era of accountability and consequences for wrongdoing in ANC municipalities.

FULL TEXT: Ramaphosa asks voters for another chance

The party has pledged for the next five years – among other promises – it will focus on getting service delivery right, creating job opportunities and hiring municipal staff who are competent and experienced.

Basic municipal services

• Improve the maintenance of water and sewerage infrastructure and reduce water leaks.
• Improiving access to free basic services like water and electricity to indigent households.
• Providing safe, affordable and reliable supply of electricity to every South African home.

Local economies

• Creating new economic opportunities for workers and communities.
• Redistributing land for farming, housing and running businesses.
• Upgrading informal settlements and changing municipal zoning practices to better integrate housing, recreation facilities and economic opportunities.
• Amend or repeal restrictive by-laws on trading, land use, urban production of crops and other regulations that prevent people from earning a living.
• End the outsourcing of essential local government functions, end the practice of labour broking and work to create sustainable municipal jobs.

Municipal staff

• Hiring municipal staff who are competent and experienced.
• Act speedily against officials conducting business with municipalities and against those implicated in maladministration.

Other promises

• Focus on school feeding schemes and soup kitchens to fight hunger in communities, including making municipal land available for community and cooperative food gardens.
• Rebuild and rehabilitate sports and arts and culture facilities to create programmes and opportunities, especially for young people and women.
• Tackle crime and corruption as well as violence against vunerable groups.

Read the full ANC LGE manifesto below:

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe

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