Mpe advised that for the ANC to increase its votes during the upcoming 2026 local government elections, councillors must return to basics.
Go back to the villages where you were elected from, or else!
This is the warning by Peter Mokaba ANC regional chairperson, Makoro John Mpe, to all ANC ward councillors who have since relocated to well-serviced areas such as townships, towns and cities, soon after they were elected into office after the 1 November 2021 local government elections.
Mpe said the ANC across the country has seen an exodus of ward councillors, leaving their electorates in the lurch with little service delivery in favour of relocating to urban areas.
This, he said, has cost the ANC a great deal, resulting in the party losing much-needed votes to opposition parties at the polls.
Mpe advised that for the ANC to increase its votes during the upcoming 2026 local government elections, councillors must return to basics and live among the people who elected them into power.
Make people’s lives better
Speaking on the sidelines of a recent roll call feedback meeting at Peter Mokaba Stadium VIP Suite, Mpe said the roll call engagements were not ordinary administrative gatherings, but also represented a solemn reaffirmation of the ANC’s covenant with those who expect services from the ANC-led government.
“Our ward councillors must ensure they live within the communities they serve, where they were elected. They must ensure that the lives of the people served under the ANC banner are better. They must make sure their people live in communities which are clean, safe and vibrant, and that every household has access to quality basic services,” he said.
He said it was a powerful demonstration of accountability in action.
“Councillors are the most important people in our society to drive service delivery. They must work hand in glove with the government to create jobs through economic investments and reduce poverty, underdevelopment, and skills shortages in communities.
“They must be the first to report crime to authorities, the first to arrive at a bereaved family and the last to leave after a funeral.
“But when they are elected today and relocate the following day, when they start to wear expensive clothes and drive elegant cars to outshine their fellow community members, when they begin to drink pricey wines and whiskies at local pubs, those who elected them into office will leave them and join opposition parties.
“Now my message to all our ward councillors is that the 2026 local government election is just around the corner. Go out there and recruit all those who left the ANC, either because of anger or because of our wayward behaviour. We want the ANC to win these elections and continue to improve lives,” he said.
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The call by Mpe was first made by Limpopo premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, during a South African Local Government Association (Salga) meeting held at Karibu Lodge outside Tzaneen earlier this year.
The call also comes at a time when communities in the Greater Tzaneen local municipality have taken to the streets to protest against poor service delivery.
