In a stark admission of profound challenges, the African National Congress (ANC) has concluded its 114th-anniversary celebrations by declaring 2026 a year of “decisive action,” a pledge met with immediate skepticism as the party confronts crumbling infrastructure, rampant criminality in service delivery, and a fraying political alliance.
The announcement was made by the party’s First Deputy Secretary-General, Nomvula Mokonyane, in a phone interview following the party’s event in the rural village of Moruleng, outside Rustenburg in the North West province. The choice of location was deliberate, she stated, meant to highlight the ANC’s focus on failing local government.
A Catalogue of Failures Acknowledged
The interview laid bare a devastating litany of governance failures. The reporter immediately cited the North West province as an emblem of collapse, referencing roads so dilapidated that President Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly had to resort to a helicopter during a previous visit. The specific community of Moruleng was highlighted, where residents live under the threat of “water mafias”—criminal syndicates that sabotage infrastructure to sell water—leaving citizens skeptical that any ANC visit would bring lasting change.
Mokonyane’s response outlined a series of plans and interventions: a ten-point plan for local government, a new ANC department for “monitoring, evaluation, and accountability,” a “service delivery war room,” and promises of national government intervention for roads and water infrastructure in the North West. She also cited unblocking stalled housing projects and engaging with traditional leadership.
Skepticism and the Shadow of “Water Mafias”
When pressed on the acute water crisis and criminality, Mokonyane’s guarantees shifted responsibility. While pointing to the new “war room” for reporting issues, she stated, “We need to work together as the community, protect our infrastructure,” placing the onus on residents to guard against vandalism, even as she acknowledged the powerful, organized nature of the “water mafias.”
The economic consequences of this breakdown were underscored by the reporter, who noted companies like Clover Dairy had left the province due to infrastructure failure, directly linking the ANC’s governance to job losses. Mokonyane pointed to past efforts on electricity and a new economic plan, but her answer offered little concrete detail on immediate fixes for investors.
An Alliance Fractures Amid “Existential Crisis”
Perhaps the most telling moment came when discussing the party’s visibly strained relationship with its long-time ally, the South African Communist Party (SACP). The SACP’s General Secretary, Solly Mapaila, was notably absent from the ANC’s anniversary event for the second year running, a glaring symbol of the rift as the SACP moves toward contesting elections independently.
Mokonyane downplayed the absence, noting the SACP was represented by its First Deputy Secretary, Madala Masuku. But in a rare and candid admission, she conceded the ANC is facing an “existential crisis” and pleaded with the SACP not to abandon the alliance. “They should be the last who must find it opportune to say they can help the ANC by going alone,” she stated, revealing deep anxiety over the party’s declining political cohesion.
Empty Stadiums and the Challenge of Conviction
Questions about visibly empty sections at the Moruleng stadium were deflected by Mokonyane, who blamed the heat and small village roads for logistical issues, claiming a police estimate of 40,000 people in the area. The exchange underscored the central question posed to her: what will the ANC do to convince a disillusioned electorate to return?
Her answer was a recitation of planned bureaucratic mechanisms—evaluation departments, war rooms, and intervention teams. For communities like Moruleng, living without reliable water and roads, and for a nation watching a historic political alliance disintegrate, the ANC’s “year of decisive action” begins not with public trust, but as a promise yet to be proven, announced in the shadow of a crisis its own leadership has now explicitly named.