Gauteng ANC urges councillors to remember the pledge they signed.

By Lehlohonolo Lehana.

The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng has urged elected councillors to remember their pledges to communities in the run-up to the local government elections.

The party’s provincial leadership released a statement on Wednesday, congratulating ANC councillors that have been sworn in at different municipalities across the province.

The ANC failed to maintain an outright majority in the three Gauteng metros, with opposition parties joining hands to elect DA mayors.

ANC Gauteng spokesperson Bones Modise said all they ask from councillors is to serve the people.

“The ANC’s loss of the City of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane metro municipalities means that we are now the official opposition in these Councils. In this regard, our commitment is that we play our opposition role effectively – to ensure that service delivery remains a priority in all we do.

“We now turn our focus and attention on the 2024 national and provincial government elections.”

Modise said all the councillors will be required to sign contracts of employment and pledges to serve communities better.

“Our manifesto commitments are going to be the only guiding tool during this term of office, and no ANC councillor will be allowed to do anything else. Our latest observation is that most political parties have resolved to form coalitions with any other counterpart but the ANC – a decision that we view as forming part of an effort to get the ANC out of office.

“This calls on all ANC members to self-introspect on how their individual actions, conduct and decisions are either improving or damaging the ANC’s image among the electorate.”

The outcomes of municipal council meetings following the conclusion of the 2021 local government elections have knocked the wind out of the ANC’s sails.

And it now seems the governing party has resorted to sending motivational messages to its deflated support base.

Despite winning this year’s elections, the ANC are losing control of municipalities and the party’s deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte has called on members and supporters to “have courage”, “be strong” and not to despair.

“We may have lost a lot of what we worked very hard for, but we have not lost the battle to transform the lives of our people. Most of the wards in our communities are still under an ANC ward councillor and this is what we must remember.

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