ANC Admits Service Delivery Failures as Eastern Cape Water Crisis Persists

ANC Admits Service Delivery Failures as Pressure Mounts on Local Government

EAST LONDON – The African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape has openly acknowledged deep-seated service delivery failures, including long-term water shortages affecting dozens of villages, as pressure builds ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

Speaking at the ANC Eastern Cape Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) Lekgotla in East London on Sunday, Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, in his capacity as ANC provincial chairperson, said the movement could no longer ignore the impact that poor governance and weak service delivery were having on public trust.

In a frank address to ANC leaders, alliance partners and government deployees, Mabuyane conceded that failures in governance and service delivery had “demoralised and alienated” communities across the province.

Long-standing water crises highlighted

One of the most striking admissions in the speech was the reference to prolonged water shortages in rural areas.

Mabuyane said leadership must be held to account “when more than eighty villages have endured dry taps for five years without a sustainable solution”, describing the situation as unacceptable and demanding urgent political attention.

The acknowledgement comes amid ongoing complaints from communities across the Eastern Cape about unreliable water supply, deteriorating infrastructure and a lack of visible intervention from authorities.

Accountability no longer optional, says ANC

Mabuyane stressed that accountability within ANC-led government structures could no longer be treated as optional or delayed.

He warned that collapsing road infrastructure, potholes in urban centres and failures by provincial government to adequately support struggling municipalities must result in consequence management.

According to Mabuyane, the National Executive Committee (NEC) has directed the establishment of a national “war room” to deal with underperforming ANC-led municipalities, signalling a tougher stance on non-performance ahead of elections.

“This process must not be seen as a political witch-hunt, but as a necessary recalibration of governance and organisational discipline,” he said.

Elections add urgency to service delivery

The speech was delivered as the ANC prepares for the 2026 local government elections, which Mabuyane described as a critical test of the movement’s ability to reconnect with communities.

He said ANC members and deployees must be able to explain, in practical terms, what is being done to fix local government, adding that empty rhetoric would no longer be sufficient to win back public confidence.

Government officials were urged to identify “quick wins” that could be implemented before the elections, while also outlining longer-term plans for the 2026/27 financial year.

Decline in support acknowledged

Mabuyane also acknowledged that the ANC faces declining electoral support, but maintained that organisational renewal, discipline and visible delivery could help the party recover lost ground.

He emphasised that branches must be rebuilt, mass mobilisation structures reactivated and communication between leadership and communities restored.

The Lekgotla forms part of a series of strategic meetings aimed at aligning party priorities with government action, as the Eastern Cape grapples with persistent unemployment, infrastructure backlogs and service delivery challenges.