The African National Congress launched its 2026 local government elections manifesto, titled Masakhe — “let us build” — at Riverside Park near Diepsloot on Sunday, ten weeks before the country votes on 4 November.

The President's central message was an admission rather than a promise. Democracy, he said, must be experienced in daily life through reliable water, electricity, sanitation and roads, not only at election time — and by that measure too many municipalities are failing the people who live in them.

“Leadership does matter,” he told the crowd. “A municipality can have sound budgets, skilled employees, and good plans. But if its political leadership is divided, corrupt, weak, or indifferent, the municipality will fail.”

The manifesto is built on six commitments: quality services and infrastructure; investment and job creation; safe and healthy communities; sustainable municipal finances; accountable local government; and community participation. Timelines run from 100 days to five years.

Within the first 100 days after the election, mayors and councillors will be required to publish their priorities, establish service delivery baselines and demonstrate measurable progress on the most urgent problems in their communities. Every ANC-led council is to produce a localised manifesto and implementation plan addressing the specific strengths and weaknesses of that municipality.

Councillors and mayors will sign public performance agreements with targets and deadlines, together with a code of ethical conduct. Those who fail to deliver may be removed. “We don't want councillors and mayors who, after being elected, become disconnected from their communities,” the President said. “We want community engagement, community meetings, community report backs, community updates, and community mandate-seeking, so that we move in tandem with our people.”

On municipal money, the manifesto commits councils to resolving Auditor-General findings within twelve months. “We will not tolerate wasteful expenditure or corruption. Our people deserve better,” he said.

A significant social commitment would automatically link qualifying SASSA grant recipients to municipal indigent registers, so that poor households receive free basic water, electricity, sanitation and refuse removal without repeatedly reapplying at municipal offices. If implemented, it would affect millions of households.

The choice of Diepsloot was deliberate. More than 4 000 subsidised flats at Riverside have been handed to former informal settlement residents. It is also one of Gauteng's most densely populated communities, with persistent housing, crime, water, sanitation and electricity pressures — which raises rather than lowers the stakes on every commitment made from that stage.

The manifesto was drafted after what the movement describes as a frank review of its 2021 local government promises, examining what was delivered and where implementation fell short. Inputs came from COSATU, SANCO, lawyers' organisations and residents of informal settlements.