Overview
- Speaking Sunday at Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane, Cyril Ramaphosa told supporters the early-November local elections are a straight test of whether municipalities deliver water, electricity, street lighting and waste removal.
- Ramaphosa defended the ANC’s record, saying the party has expanded access to basic services and worked with Eskom to “bring load shedding to an end,” a claim presented by the president and not independently verified in the coverage.
- He acknowledged the party’s shortcomings on cost of living and service failures and said the ANC has listened to communities and must do more to meet voters’ needs.
- As part of his closing pitch the president pledged one million work, training and enterprise opportunities over the next term, including apprenticeships and graduate internships in ANC-run municipalities.
- Coverage across outlets showed similar accounts of the rally while noting the final-week pushes by rival parties, and the result could shift control of towns and cities that directly manage everyday services for residents.