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Masakhe: The Manifesto Lands in Diepsloot

Volume 1 · Number 2 · The official weekly bulletin of the African National Congress in Gauteng Province

Issue No. 2

24 Aug 2026 — 30 Aug 2026

8 reports this week

Published Mon, 24 Aug 2026, 06:00 SAST

Lead StoryProvincial

Masakhe: manifesto launched in Diepsloot with 100-day deadlines and a public admission of failure

Community members gathered outdoors at a political rally in a South African township — Photo: Stock photograph

Watch

President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the 2026 local government manifesto at Riverside Park, Diepsloot, conceding that “too many municipalities are failing” and committing councillors to published priorities, signed performance agreements and removal for non-delivery.

Bulletin NewsdeskRead full report →

Organisational RenewalProvincial

Aerial view of the Sandton skyline in Gauteng — Photo: Stock photograph

Watch

Shortlists, not candidates: metro mayoral names revealed as final decision moves to September

At Sandton the movement named shortlisted candidates for eight metros and 44 district municipalities rather than final candidates. Johannesburg's shortlist is Dada Morero, Loyiso Masuku and Frank Chikane.

Bulletin Newsdesk

Service DeliveryProvincial

Community volunteers working together outdoors — Photo: Stock photograph

Province asks residents to cut water use as reservoir levels fall

The provincial government warned on Monday that reservoir and tower storage levels are declining even with systems pumping at or near full capacity. Analysts say the cause is ageing infrastructure, not a sudden spike in demand.

Bulletin Newsdesk

Economy & JobsProvincial

Electricity: R110bn owed to Eskom, and a plan to ring-fence what municipalities collect

Speaking at the launch, the electricity minister said tariffs have risen 907% in twenty years and that municipal electricity revenue should be ring-fenced for maintenance rather than absorbed into general accounts.

Bulletin Newsdesk

Organisational RenewalEkurhuleni

Aerial view of a South African township of sunlit houses and roads — Photo: Stock photograph

Ekurhuleni: province reverses removal of finance MMC as leadership rift widens

Provincial officials blocked Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza's removal of finance MMC and regional secretary Jongizizwe Dlabathi, instructing the region to deliberate and report back before acting.

Regional Correspondent, Ekurhuleni

CampaignsProvincial

Ten weeks to 4 November: what branches must do now

With the manifesto launched and voting day set, the campaign moves to the doorstep. Branches are asked to run manifesto report-backs, sustain door-to-door work and prepare for registration weekend.

Campaigns Desk

Service delivery war room

Report a fault

Dry taps, dark streets, potholes, uncollected refuse. Report it and get a reference number — escalated within 48 hours.

Lodged

Open

25%

Resolved

Report a fault

Track Register

From the editor

Editorial

Comrades, the campaign proper began this weekend, and it began in Gauteng.

On Saturday the movement named its shortlisted mayoral candidates at Sandton. On Sunday the President launched the local government manifesto, Masakhe, at Riverside Park in Diepsloot. Voting day is Wednesday 4 November. Ten weeks.

What is striking about Masakhe is not what it promises but what it concedes. "Too many municipalities are failing," the President told the crowd. He did not qualify it, and he did not blame anyone else. For a governing party ten weeks from a poll, that is an unusual thing to say out loud — and it is the correct thing to say, because every resident in Diepsloot already knew it.

The manifesto answers with dates rather than adjectives: free basic services to indigent households inside 100 days, municipalities restored to health inside five years, councillors publishing their priorities and service delivery baselines in their first 100 days, performance agreements signed in public, and those who fail removed. Branches should read those commitments as a measuring stick that will be used against us, because that is exactly what they are.

This edition also carries a correction. Our first edition reported that Reverend Frank Chikane had withdrawn from the Johannesburg mayoral race. The Secretary-General has since said plainly that this was untrue, and Chikane's name was read out at Sandton. We got it wrong, we say so here, and the detail is set out below.

The week's other hard news is water. The provincial government asked residents on Monday to cut consumption as reservoir levels fall. Read that alongside the manifesto: a party promising working taps in five years is asking for restraint at the tap today. Both things are true, and branches should be honest about both when they knock on a door.

Provincial Communications Sub-committee

Provincial diary

Week ahead

Wed, 26 Aug
Manifesto report-back meetings in all wards
Ward venues, all five regions · Provincial
Thu, 27 Aug
Provincial campaign coordination meeting
Walter Sisulu House, Johannesburg · Provincial
Thu, 27 Aug
Ekurhuleni regional office bearers deliberation on the mayoral committee
Germiston · Ekurhuleni
Sat, 29 Aug
Door-to-door deployment: manifesto edition
All wards, all five regions · Provincial
Sat, 29 Aug
Water conservation and leak-logging drive
Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni · Provincial
Mon, 31 Aug
Bulletin edition No. 3 published
Online · ancgauteng.bulletin · Provincial

Official

Statements

Correction: Reverend Frank Chikane did not withdraw from the Johannesburg race
Our first edition reported that Reverend Frank Chikane had pulled out of the Johannesburg mayoral contest. The Secretary-General has since described that report as untrue, and Chikane was named among the shortlisted candidates at Sandton on Saturday.
Statement: ANC Gauteng on the Masakhe commitments and what residents may expect
The province commits to publishing ward-level service delivery baselines in Gauteng municipalities it leads, and to reporting against them publicly.

Previous editions

No. 1 — First Edition: Gauteng Goes to the People
17 Aug 2026 — 23 Aug 2026

Full archive →

Masakhe: The Manifesto Lands in Diepsloot

Masakhe: manifesto launched in Diepsloot with 100-day deadlines and a public admission of failure

Shortlists, not candidates: metro mayoral names revealed as final decision moves to September

Province asks residents to cut water use as reservoir levels fall

Electricity: R110bn owed to Eskom, and a plan to ring-fence what municipalities collect

Ekurhuleni: province reverses removal of finance MMC as leadership rift widens

Ten weeks to 4 November: what branches must do now

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