ANC calls councillor ‘roll call’ to fast-track service delivery as it pushes panic buttons ahead of 2026 local government elections

The ANC is expected to convene a “roll call” event for all its councillors across the country to “accelerate service delivery with accountability” as it begins with preparations for the 2026 local government elections.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) announced last week that the local government elections might take place between November 2, 2026 and January 31, 2027.

The ANC announced on Wednesday that the event will take place at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, Gauteng on Monday.

Having lost its national majority in the General Elections in 2024, political observers say the ANC is in panic mode to ahead of of the local government elections in 2026. It governs with a coalition in Tshwane, Joburg and Ekhurhuleni and Tshwane.

It has a razor thin majority in eThekwini and there are fears inside the party that it could be defeated in Durban by former ANC president, Jacob Zuma's MK Party. The ANC has all but given up on the City of Cape Town having last been in power in 2005.

ANC national spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, said the critical gathering will redefine the ANC’s agenda for service delivery, sharpen their interventions, and also accelerate the pace of development in line with its renewal mandate.

“The people of South Africa have made their choice crystal clear that they place their faith and trust in the ANC. These results starkly contradict the narratives of decline pushed by naysayers and hostile forces, including their opinion polls.

“The outcomes are indisputable and firm that the ANC stands stable, united, and effective in delivering results,” she said.

Bhengu-Motsiri applauded the ANC’s renewal process, saying they were succeeding. The ANC remains the stable force that the people can count on, she added.

“With every ward retained and every mandate renewed, the ANC recommits to intensifying service delivery, strengthening local government, and ensuring that the people's needs are always placed first.”

This comes as the ANC is facing growing internal discord, with leadership fractures at both provincial and national levels.

Factional battles, accusations of gatekeeping, and declining public trust have cast a shadow over the ruling party’s preparations for upcoming elective conferences.

In August, the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) resolved to convene a special meeting to finalise the rules and guidelines governing the upcoming municipal elections.

The meeting will also focus on strengthening interventions aimed at stabilising municipalities across the country.

A similar roll call was conducted by the ANC in 2021, approximately one month before the local government elections, to confirm its list of candidates.

Meanwhile, while preparing for the elections, the ANC is also facing a tripartite alliance division after the SACP resolved at its 2022 national congress to explore contesting elections directly.

In 2024, the party reaffirmed that it would indeed contest the 2026 local government elections, citing the need to deepen working-class power and provide a more direct socialist alternative to communities.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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