Ramaphosa Tightens ANC Municipal Accountability Ahead of Election Push

A formal accountability structure imposed on ANC mayors and councillors by President Cyril Ramaphosa signals a direct attempt to address the municipal governance failures that have become a growing liability for the party ahead of November elections. Speaking at the ANC’s local government manifesto launch in Diepsloot, Soweto, on August 23, 2026, Ramaphosa outlined binding commitments designed to close the gap between political promises and measurable service delivery.

The framework rests on mandatory performance agreements and ethical conduct codes that all ANC representatives must sign before taking office. These agreements establish clear targets and timelines. A 100-day accountability plan requires every councillor to publish priorities and demonstrate measurable progress within three months of election. Ramaphosa was unambiguous about the start date: “On the first day after the election, we will begin implementing these reforms.”

Municipal failures have become a persistent cost for the ANC’s electoral standing. Communities across the country have reported collapsing infrastructure, water shortages, uncollected refuse, sewage spills, and broken streetlights. Auditor-general reports have consistently documented wasteful expenditure and corruption, with minimal accountability for those responsible. Ramaphosa acknowledged these systemic breakdowns directly, arguing that political leadership quality determines municipal viability regardless of budgets or workforce capacity.

Financial discipline forms a second pillar of the plan. Municipalities will be required to act within 12 months on auditor-general findings, and Ramaphosa was direct: “We will not tolerate wasteful expenditure or corruption. Our people deserve better.” The requirement signals an attempt to close the historically wide gap between audit findings and corrective action in ANC-governed municipalities.

Community engagement was framed as a third accountability mechanism. Ramaphosa rejected the model of elected officials becoming disconnected from constituents after polling day, calling instead for regular meetings, report-backs, and mandate-seeking. His words: “We want community engagement, community meetings, community report backs, community updates, and community mandate-seeking, so that we move in tandem with our people.”

By contrast, the manifesto also exposed internal organizational gaps. Nearly ten weeks before the November elections, the ANC had reportedly not fully established whether some mayoral candidates meet fitness-for-office standards, creating uncertainty about the party’s capacity to implement its own accountability measures. The distance between stated commitments and internal readiness is the central tension the party must resolve.

Opposition parties have already moved to exploit that tension. The DA nominated Helen Zille for Johannesburg, ActionSA selected former mayor Herman Mashaba, and the EFF nominated Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, each representing an experienced alternative to ANC leadership in key municipalities.

Ramaphosa’s warning carried explicit consequences for non-compliance. “Public representatives who do not fulfil their agreed responsibilities will be removed,” he declared, a departure from past practice in which underperforming officials often retained positions despite documented failures. He added: “The ANC will no longer shield underperforming leaders.”

Whether the party can enforce these standards across its municipal network, given the reported uncertainty around candidate vetting, is the question that will define whether this framework amounts to structural reform or another set of commitments that outpaces the organization’s capacity to deliver.