ANC admits service delivery failures hurt election campaign

Detailed summary

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has admitted that voter frustration over poor service delivery, power cuts, water shortages, and internal divisions drove…

The African National Congress (ANC) struggled to convince voters to support it in communities where residents were frustrated by water shortages, electricity problems and the rising cost of living, secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has acknowledged, as the party begins confronting the scale of its losses in the local government elections.

Reflecting on the campaign, Mbalula described volunteers going door to door to persuade residents to vote for the governing party, only to be confronted with complaints about basic services. In some areas, he said, campaigners found it difficult to defend the ANC when residents were still struggling to access water and electricity.

“You don't need many ways to convince the person that don't vote for the ANC,” Mbalula said, describing the difficult conversations taking place on the campaign trail.

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