KARIEGA, Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Eastern Cape — The African National Congress (ANC) has intensified its 2026 Local Government Election campaign in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, with ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) member Thembi Simelane leading a targeted door-to-door outreach in Kariega. This grassroots push marks a strategic effort by the party to regain its outright majority in the municipality after previously losing control and subsequently governing through a coalition.
During the campaign in Ward 50, Simelane engaged directly with residents to listen to their concerns regarding persistent service delivery challenges, specifically highlighting ongoing water, electricity, and housing crises.
“We spent the morning going from house to house, meeting residents and listening to their concerns,” Simelane stated, emphasizing the party’s commitment to identifying grassroots problems and crafting tailored solutions ahead of the elections. She noted specific localized challenges, pointing out that approximately 80 houses in the area face severe water and disaster-related issues.
Simelane added that follow-up meetings are scheduled to develop customized solutions, extending beyond basic infrastructure to include human social services and social development interventions to ensure residents are properly capacitated and assisted. “It is only the African National Congress that can deliver on these promises, and on the goal of ensuring that an African child’s life is better,” she asserted.
Despite the campaign assurances, residents expressed fatigue over unfulfilled pledges, demanding concrete action rather than political rhetoric. Community members highlighted severe daily hardships, noting that elderly parents in wheelchairs are disproportionately affected by water outages that can last for months.
Others described dire housing conditions, with leaking roofs forcing families to sleep outside and use buckets to catch rainwater. “The only thing I’m asking from the ANC is to please build us a proper home,” one resident pleaded, reflecting a broader community demand for tangible service delivery.
Simelane’s localized visit builds on momentum generated last month by ANC Chairperson Gwede Mantashe, who also campaigned in the area. This coordinated, high-level outreach underscores the party’s intensified push to secure majority control of the metro and restore its electoral dominance in this key Eastern Cape stronghold.