Mokonyane concedes poor service delivery driving down ANC voter turnout
Mokonyane said persistent challenges, including water shortages and uncollected rubbish, have left some residents disillusioned.
ANC first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane has acknowledged that inadequate service delivery in the party's traditional strongholds is one of the factors behind diminished voter turnout in South Africa's upcoming local government elections. Mokonyane made these remarks to the media at the Electoral Commission of South Africa's (IEC) results operation centre in Midrand.
The local government elections are shaping up to be a more competitive contest, with early indications suggesting opposition parties are gaining ground in numerous municipalities. The ANC is grappling with challenges in several key battlegrounds across the country.
Mokonyane attributed some of the issues to persistent problems such as water shortages and uncollected rubbish, which have left some residents feeling disillusioned. She emphasized that the party's renewal programme must prioritize rebuilding connections with communities and addressing the concerns that directly impact people's daily lives. "When he or she wakes up, a voter looks at issues that affect them," Mokonyane stated. "Find themselves in the challenges of not being able to do their work. It will end."
Additionally, Mokonyane highlighted the difficulties faced by some residents in Soweto and older townships, where properties have been seized due to the termination of indigent policies. "They've also found themselves in a situation where some of their properties, both in Soweto and in the old towns, where, more than the past eight years of DA rule, the indigent policy was dropped, and their properties have been attached," she noted.
Mokonyane emphasized that the ANC bears a responsibility to intervene and rectify these issues. She stressed that the party's renewal agenda should extend beyond mere organizational efforts. "Our renewal must go beyond just building ANC branches," Mokonyane declared. "It must be about forging relationships, and being instrumental in resolving people's problems, even where we are not in power."
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
