Ramaphosa is expected to conduct door-to-door campaigning and engage with communities in Botshabelo on Saturday (10/10), followed by activities in Bloemfontein on Sunday. The campaign will focus on the theme Fixing Local Government and Transforming the Economy, reinforcing the ANC’s priorities of renewal, unity, responsive governance and placing people at the centre of local government, said ANC Free State spokesperson Thabo Meeko.

The campaign comes as Mangaung continues to grapple with persistent water shortages, sewage spills, deteriorating roads and concerns over the management of public funds.

The metro reportedly loses between 48% and 49% of its bulk water supply because of extensive leaks, ageing burst pipes and unmetered consumption. Raw sewage continues to flow into streets, residential yards and local waterways, while approximately 22% of households still rely on pit toilets.

Service delivery

The South African Human Rights Commission has previously raised concerns about service delivery conditions and their implications for residents’ basic constitutional rights.

Continuous water leaks and failing drainage systems have also contributed to the deterioration of major roads, including those in Ward 6, where dangerous potholes have left some routes difficult or impossible to navigate.

Potso Motoko, a Mangaung Service Delivery Forum leader and its councillor candidate in the metro, has raised concerns about the challenges facing residents. He accused municipal leadership of favouring associates when awarding service delivery tenders, alleging that projects sometimes fail to materialise despite public money being spent.

“The problem with our leadership is they will agree with us in the meetings; after the meetings, there’s nothing that they are going to do. They are not actually rectifying problems that are happening around Mangaung; instead, you can’t report a tokoloshi to the witch.

“That simply means you can’t report anything to the mayor because some of the people who are doing these are known to them and they can’t do anything about it.”

The metro’s financial management has also come under scrutiny. OFM News has reported that Mangaung’s financial misconduct disciplinary board is investigating 17 cases involving alleged unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure worth billions of rand.

Municipal manager Sello More has also reportedly been issued a certificate of debt, a mechanism that can hold accounting officers personally liable for financial losses resulting from the mismanagement of public funds.

Meanwhile, the EFF has argued removing the ANC from power across municipalities could significantly improve service delivery and residents’ quality of life.

EFF MPL and Metsimaholo mayoral candidate Bosanku Msimanga told OFM News that the deepening municipal crisis was not simply a result of insufficient funding or administrative capacity, but was also driven by divisions within the governing party.

Msimanga said political factionalism had paralysed municipalities and turned council chambers into battlegrounds for competing interests.

“The divisions within the ANC are affecting service delivery throughout these municipalities. It’s no surprise those municipalities are divided between the MEC of Cogta and the provincial secretary of the ANC; they are fictionalised along those lines.” 

“It is no longer about service delivery when they go to council to discuss an item, and if it benefits the provincial secretary of the ANC, that item will not see the light of day.”

Mangaung officials, led by mayor Gregory Nthatisi, have repeatedly blamed previous administrations for the metro’s service delivery failures, ghost worker challenges, and financial difficulties.

Ramaphosa’s return to the area also revives concerns he raised during an ANC door-to-door campaign in Botshabelo in 2024.

At the time, the president expressed concern about the proliferation of informal settlements in the Free State after witnessing hundreds of shacks at the entrance to Botshabelo near the N8. He highlighted the need for sustainable solutions to improve living conditions and ensure residents have access to basic services.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi dg

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