Opinion: Why I Won’t Be Voting ANC in the Next Election

Komani is a town with so much potential.

We are home to respected schools such as Queens College. We are surrounded by the beauty of Longhill and Madeira Mountain. Visitors arriving in our town could easily believe they have arrived in one of the Eastern Cape’s great regional centres.

But look a little closer and a different story begins to emerge.

Walk down parts of the CBD and you will find running water in places where it should not be. Pavements are uneven and broken after years of repeated cable repairs. Streets are riddled with potholes. In some areas, pedestrians are forced to navigate around businesses operating from pavements, vehicles being repaired on sidewalks, and other obstacles that make walking through town difficult and sometimes unsafe.

Rubbish accumulates at street corners. Businesses have reported being left without electricity for extended periods. Residents across multiple suburbs continue to experience recurring power outages. Basic municipal services often feel unreliable and inconsistent.

Many residents are asking a simple question: why?

South Africans have now lived under democratic rule for more than three decades. The ANC has governed nationally since 1994 and has governed many municipalities, including Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, for much of that period.

Yet many residents still struggle to access the basics.

We are not asking for miracles.

We are asking for clean water from our taps.

We are asking for functioning roads.

We are asking for reliable electricity.

We are asking for clean streets.

We are asking for safe public spaces where our children can walk, play and grow up without having to navigate broken infrastructure and neglected surroundings.

These are not luxury demands. They are the basic services citizens should reasonably expect from local government.

The frustration many residents feel today is not necessarily rooted in politics. It is rooted in lived experience.

People judge governments by what they see every day.

They see potholes.

They see litter.

They see infrastructure failures.

They see service interruptions.

And they ask themselves whether those responsible for governing have earned another opportunity.

Many voters remain deeply loyal to the ANC because of its historic role in the struggle against apartheid. That loyalty is understandable. The sacrifices made by countless South Africans helped secure the democracy we enjoy today.

But elections are not only about the past.

They are also about the future.

The ANC that led the liberation struggle is not necessarily the same ANC that governs municipalities today. Voters must ask whether current leaders are delivering the services and governance that communities deserve.

Democracy works best when voters hold leaders accountable, regardless of party affiliation.

No political party should assume it has a permanent claim on people’s votes.

Votes should be earned through performance.

If roads deteriorate, if infrastructure fails, if businesses suffer, if residents lose confidence in service delivery, then voters have every right to consider alternatives.

Whether that alternative is the DA, EFF, ActionSA, an independent candidate, or another party entirely is a decision for each voter to make.

But one thing is clear: continuing to vote the same way while expecting different results is unlikely to bring meaningful change.

The question facing Komani voters is not what happened 30 years ago.

The question is what kind of town we want 30 years from now.

And that answer may require voters to look beyond history and focus on performance.

That is why I will not be voting ANC in the next election.