ANC Campaigns on Power and Water It Has Not Fixed
Southern Africa · Politics
Key Facts
—The launch: President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the ANC’s local government election manifesto, titled Masakhe, at Riverside Park in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, on Sunday 23 August 2026.
—The debt: Municipalities owe Eskom, the state power utility, more than R110 billion (about US$6.9 billion), on the utility’s own figures, and Eskom projects it could pass R300 billion (about US$18.8 billion) within five years.
—One city’s bill: Johannesburg paid Eskom R5.25 billion (about US$328 million) in the week to 22 August, averting a city-wide cut-off.
—The tariff: Electricity prices have risen 907% over twenty years, against inflation of about 150%, on the electricity minister’s own account.
—The promise: Free basic services to indigent households within 100 days, and municipalities restored to health within five years.
—No candidates: The party entered the campaign without naming mayoral candidates for the eight metros.
The ANC local election manifesto launched in Diepsloot on Sunday promises working water and electricity, delivered by the municipalities that currently owe Eskom more than R110 billion (about US$6.9 billion). Its own electricity minister says tariffs have risen 907% in twenty years.
What the ANC local election manifesto promises
Cyril Ramaphosa launched the manifesto at Riverside Park in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, on Sunday 23 August 2026. The party titled it Masakhe, meaning let us build.
The site was chosen deliberately. More than 4,000 government-subsidised flats there have been handed to former informal-settlement residents, which is the kind of delivery the party wants photographed.
The document is built around 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. Free basic services to indigent households are promised within 100 days; municipalities restored to health within five.
The number the manifesto has to answer for
Municipalities owe Eskom more than R110 billion (about US$6.9 billion), on the utility’s own figures. Eskom projected in March that this would reach R116.2 billion (about US$7.3 billion) by the end of its 2026 financial year, a rise of about 23% in a year, and passing R300 billion (about US$18.8 billion) by 2031 if nothing changes.
Two provinces account for just over half of it. Mpumalanga owes about R30.5 billion (US$1.9 billion) and the Free State about R29.1 billion (US$1.8 billion).
Seventy-one municipalities are on National Treasury’s debt relief programme. Only ten are current on their payments.
The scale of the problem was visible in Johannesburg last week, when the city paid Eskom R5.25 billion (about US$328 million) to avert a cut-off. That is a metro buying its way out of disconnection rather than collecting what it is owed.
What the electricity minister conceded
Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, the minister for electricity and energy, has been unusually frank. At a press conference on 18 August the cabinet approved a draft revision of national electricity pricing policy, the first such rewrite in about seventeen years, and released it for public comment on 21 August.
He put the increase in electricity prices at 907% over the past twenty years, against inflation of roughly 150% over the same period. The minister also cited tariffs rising from about 19 cents a kilowatt hour in 2007 to over 3.70 rand — roughly 1 US cent to 23 US cents — though those two figures imply a much larger increase than 907%, so the pair does not reconcile with the headline number.
He attributed that to regulatory approvals, corruption, debt and the cost overruns at the Medupi and Kusile power stations. He described it as the steepest such increase anywhere outside war economies and hyperinflations.
Speaking at the launch, he said between 1.5 and 2 percentage points of the current tariff is bad debt arising from illegal connections. Paying customers are covering the cost of those who are not connected legally.
What is actually being proposed
The core fix Ramokgopa described is ringfencing. Electricity revenue collected by municipalities would be set aside for maintenance at an expected 8% of budget, rather than disappearing into general accounts.
That is the right diagnosis. Municipalities have used electricity surcharges as a general revenue source for years, which is why distribution networks have decayed while the bills went up.
Ramokgopa also proposes raising free electricity for the poorest households — those on a municipality’s indigent register — from 50 kilowatt hours a month to between 200 and 300. He says it would be done inside the existing R21 billion (about US$1.3 billion) annual free basic electricity budget, paid for by efficiency gains, solar and battery microgrids and a cleaned-up register.
Other pledges range wider: up to 10,000 more labour inspectors to check foreign nationals’ documentation, and a 50-50 gender parity target in municipal roles.
Why any of this matters to an outsider
Municipal service delivery is the single largest operating risk for anyone running a business or living in urban South Africa. Water interruptions in Johannesburg and electricity instability nationally are now routine planning assumptions.
The unpaid municipal bills are also a claim on Eskom’s balance sheet, and therefore on the sovereign that stands behind it. This is a fiscal story wearing a local-government costume.
The politics matter too. ANC support in local elections has fallen from 64.82% in 2006 to 45.59% in 2021, and the coalitions that follow determine who runs Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Tshwane.
One caution. Ramaphosa’s claim of more than 100 days without load shedding — the rotating blackouts South Africans have lived with for years — is a campaign statement we have not independently verified.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ANC local election manifesto?
A six-point programme titled Masakhe, launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa at Riverside Park in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, on 23 August 2026, covering services, investment, safety, municipal finances, accountability and participation.
How much do municipalities owe Eskom?
More than R110 billion, about US$6.9 billion, on the utility’s own figures, which it projects it projected in March could reach R116.2 billion by the end of its 2026 financial year and pass R300 billion, about US$18.8 billion, by 2031.
How much have electricity tariffs risen?
By 907% over twenty years against inflation of about 150%, according to electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, speaking on 18 August 2026.
What is proposed for free electricity?
Raising the allocation for indigent households from 50 kilowatt hours a month to between 200 and 300. No costing has been published.
When is the election?
Voting is on 4 November 2026. Cooperative Governance Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa gazetted the proclamation on 7 August 2026.
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