ANC leaders criss cross North West in anniversary blitz

The ANC, celebrating 114 years in existence this week, deployed its national officials to the North West, a service delivery hotspot, in a charm offensive meant to launch the party's road to the 2026 local government elections.

- Lunga Mzangwe & Mandisa Nyathi

It's now or never/door-die for Africa's oldest liberation movement, which celebrates its birthday this weekend amid calls for renewal in the face of dwindling voter support, corruption allegations in its ranks, a poor service delivery record and the new threat of the breakaway uMkhonto weSizwe party, led by former ANC president Jacob Zuma.

This week, the party crisscrossed the North West province, where it faces a myriad of challenges, with President Cyril Ramaphosa leading the charge, but staying clear of Marikana, where dozens of mineworkers were killed by police in a bloodbath that sucked in Ramaphosa, then a shareholder of Lonmin which owned the operation at the time.

Ramaphosa visited multiple communities in Rustenburg and surrounding wards, meeting residents, ward councillors and traditional leaders. He heard complaints about water shortages, electricity outages, potholes, and slow service delivery, and promised residents that the party would prioritise interventions. At several stops, he fielded questions directly from community members, recording grievances and urging residents to report issues through official channels.

Ramaphosa framed the party's anniversary as a moment to recommit to citizens, adding: “We are going to be taking the ANC to greater heights because the birthday of the ANC gives us more courage, it infuses us with more energy to do more work for our people because the ANC exists for the people.”

Ramaphosa also stressed the importance of accountability in local government, telling residents: “If a municipality is put under administration, we need to know what the elected representatives and municipal officials are doing to earn their salaries.”

He warned that failure to deliver services “is an infringement of the basic rights of residents and our citizens more broadly”.