Frustrated ANC councillors who traveled over 1 000km to hear party president Cyril Ramaphosa speak, described the much-anticipated roll call as an “anti-climax” that highlighted the party leadership’s disconnect from grassroots realities, writes Siyamtanda Capa.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa’s marching orders to more than 4 800 ANC councillors at the party’s roll call on Monday were clear: fix service delivery, revive local economies, repair crumbling infrastructure, and reconnect with the people.
But did the instructions delivered in a sweeping hour-long speech, in which he endorsed DA-run municipalities, stick?
The answer was clear for some who travelled more than 1 000km to hear the president himself, and it wasn’t a resounding “yes”.
Ramaphosa’s remarks on the success of DA governance in the Western Cape got ANC members buzzing and raised questions about his view of efficient local government frameworks.
The turnout at Monday’s ANC roll call event was anything but surprising.
Typical gathering
The usual rush of last-minute logistics, snaking queues to be scanned for weapons or dangerous objects, and the chorus of supporters belting out struggle songs set the tone for what was to be a typical ANC gathering where comrades are happy to reconnect, catch up, and even lobby each other.
True to form, the ANC once again showcased its talent for mobilisation, effortlessly packing the FNB Stadium’s Golden Dome despite dwindling support at the ballot and a waning grip on some of South Africa’s metros.
Mangaung Metro and Buffalo City are the only two metros the ANC controls with an outright majority. Still, sources at the regional level reveal the party is grappling with the stark possibility of losing its outright majority in the Eastern Cape’s Buffalo City Metro and losing support in the Free State’s Mangaung.
“There’s a strong attempt to reconcile with the likelihood of a loss in 2026,” said one insider.
Monday’s event felt like a deliberate move by the NEC to shift responsibility to the ground level.
Several attendees, speaking to News24 on condition of anonymity, described the event as an anti-climax. They had expected accountability discussions around ward-level issues, offering a chance to highlight challenges and seek assistance.
Despite violence in areas like KwaZulu-Natal, which has seen at least 150 politicians shot dead since 2011, the safety of councillors was ignored to some degree, and concrete solutions to pressing concerns were absent from the agenda.
Is this because most NEC members have never walked in the shoes of ward councillors? Can those who spent two days debating interventions for local government truly grasp the realities councillors face across party lines?
Lack of understanding from the NEC
Not according to a councillor who spoke to News24.
“There seems to be a lack of understanding of the actual role of a councillor. The NEC is detached and simply out of touch,” they said.
Over the next few weeks, ANC structures and provinces are set to embark on smaller roll call events where those who spoke to News24 hope to properly engage with the proposed interventions.
Some who attended have said that Monday’s event was the ANC leadership talking “at” councillors, regional executive committees (RECs), and provincial executive committees(PECs), instead of having a frank conversation on the state of affairs.
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Despite being criticised for only excelling at singing and allegedly having “no capacity” for governance, some councillors present admitted they had braced themselves for an even sterner reprimand. However, this anticipated scolding never materialised, even during closed-door discussions, especially after being informed that the only acceptable apology for lack of service delivery would be a death certificate.
As the roll call events proceed, commencing with the ANC Women’s League’s session on Friday, there appears to be genuine hope for substantial engagement with the proposed interventions.
Top-down approach
Some who were present at Monday’s event described the decision to hold a massive gathering and later head to provinces and regions as a top-down approach from ANC leadership. Most crucial, though, was that the roll call lacked the frank dialogue necessary to tackle the current state of affairs.
By the end of Monday’s roll call event, it became abundantly clear to many that the presentations from certain speakers fell short of depicting the stark realities of local governance struggles. Instead, they glossed over issues, pretending that all was well.
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Interestingly, as ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula paraded metro mayors to journalists, some communities were without water or electricity at that very moment as municipal staff in Nelson Mandela Bay downed tools in their demand for overtime. Buffalo City’s Princess Faku is facing challenges of her own as Samwu members embarked on protest action.
Instead of confronting the pressing issues in municipalities or providing actionable, innovative solutions, the day’s proceedings emphasised known rhetoric.
Disconnect
For most, the messaging reinforced the disconnect between the ANC’s leadership and its grassroots members. “It was a show for the NEC. I left there asking myself, what did I just attend?” another councillor remarked.
As smaller roll call events begin to take shape in provinces and regions, it remains to be seen whether meaningful engagement will replace the top-down approach witnessed at the Golden Dome.
Perhaps it is at those events that reports will be tabled, studied and interrogated, and the ANC will answer questions on how to resolve issues linked to billing, water and electricity provision, tackling crime, refuse collection, revenue collection, and creating a conducive environment for small and big businesses to thrive.
For now, the prevailing sentiment from councillors is that Monday’s event lacked fresh ideas or genuine discussions and failed to provide the much-needed clarity on the ANC’s future direction if it is going to be better in the upcoming local government election.
- Siyamtanda Capa is a News24 political journalist.
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