ANC implements war room strategy to confront local government challenges

In response to ongoing service delivery challenges, the ANC has announced a new task team and war room specifically designed to fix local government issues before this year's municipal elections, with water supply and rural infrastructure as top priorities.

On Sunday, during the party's second day of the three-day lekgotla currently taking place in Boksburg, ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile revealed that the party will set up a war room to deal with local government challenges across the board.

Mashatile's address to the media on Sunday came a day after the party tabled a political overview report presented at the gathering, which pointed to a lack of policy implementation as one of the party’s long-standing issues.

Mashatile indicated that this targeted intervention, aimed at stabilising municipalities and improving service delivery, will be led by the Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, who will monitor implementation across provinces, districts, and metros.

He said this will ensure timely interventions so local problems and other related challenges are resolved quickly.

"Our focus is on fixing local government. You will recall from the President's January 8 Statement, where the President emphasised this matter. This is the year of decisive action to fix local government and ensure a viable economy," he said.

One of the war room's top priorities is addressing the escalating water crisis, which has prompted calls for the government to declare it a national emergency. Despite the existence of reservoirs in many regions, Mashatile pointed out that poor water reticulation remains a significant challenge, leading to widespread water shortages despite ample supply in dams.

“We have realised that, in the main, it is not that we do not have water in our dams, but it is the issue of reticulation. “Even in provinces where we have dams, some areas do not receive water," Mashatile stated.

Additionally, the ANC aims to prioritise improving road infrastructure, particularly in rural areas that often suffer from inadequate service delivery.

“As we were criss-crossing the North West province, one of the biggest challenges was road infrastructure,” Mashatile noted, reiterating the party's commitment to enhancing basic services that are crucial for economic development.

Mashatile said that the party 'will be deploying it's most capable cadres at the local government level to ensure service delivery is revitalised'.

“Our councillors must be fit for purpose, so they must be trained properly, deployed in all municipalities, and work well with managers and officials to improve local government and the quality of life of people in those areas."

The discussions at the lekgotla extended beyond infrastructure, as party commissions also tackled issues related to the economy, organisational development, and initiatives to counter crime, corruption, and gender-based violence.

President Cyril Ramaphosa,  at the weekend reinforced the necessity of focusing on local government and economic transformation, urging party members to create a clear implementation plan. He cautioned against spreading resources too thin, highlighting that prioritising these core areas would lead to an organic solution to other ancillary issues.

"Our main task for this year is to fix the local government and to fundamentally transform our economy, and all our actions must be geared towards that. Sometimes we are tempted to try to do everything, but if we can focus on these, all the other tasks and issues will fall into place. So, during this Lekgotla, we must make sure that we come up with an implementation plan. It should be a clear template so that we can ensure that we start the year much more effectively," he told ANC members.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za