DLAMINI-ZUMA'S ADVICE FOR ANC SURVIVAL

A robust and responsive local government is pivotal to reconnecting with citizens

- MANYANE MANYANE AND MASHUDU SADIKE

AS SOUTH Africa grapples with numerous challenges, including service delivery protests and increasing political apathy, ANC veteran and National Executive Committee (NEC) member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma emphasised the necessity for the party to rebuild its organisational structures on the ground.

According to her, a robust and responsive local government is pivotal to reconnecting with citizens and reaffirming the party's commitment to their needs and restoring trust with the people.

With the upcoming local government elections, Dlamini-Zuma stressed that the ANC should prioritise strengthening its branches and delivering services to communities.

Service delivery remains a challenge in South Africa. This includes inadequate infrastructure, insufficient resources, and issues of maintenance and accountability.

Dlamini-Zuma highlighted the importance of building strong branches.

"Our branches must be built properly because the strength of the branch is what they do in the community ... We are going to the local government elections, and we should be concentrating on that right now."

She emphasised that strong branches would lead to strong councillors who can deliver services effectively, ultimately rebuilding trust between the government and the people.