By Becker Semela:
The fed-up ANC in the Free State has announced a decisive move to remove mayors from six municipalities following ongoing corruption and service delivery failures.
Provincial spokesperson Polediso Motsoeneng confirmed that the affected municipalities are Mafube, Moqhaka, Letsemeng, Nketoana, Nala local municipalities and Lejweleputswa District Municipality. He said the removals aim to restore public trust and improve service delivery in these struggling municipalities.
Feed up and action
“The ANC’s commitment to clean governance and accountability is being put to the test as the party prepares for the 2026 Local Government Elections. We are fed-up with poor service delivery, corruption, etc. Now is the time to remove them and replace them with governance,” Motsoeneng said
Addressing organisational decay, he said the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) admitted that leadership failures, corruption and lack of accountability have weakened the organisation and damaged its relationship with communities. The party said this has particularly affected the poor and marginalised, who depend most on government services.
“The PEC emphasised that the renewal of the ANC requires principal leadership, disciplined cadreship and an active civil society. It noted that the losses suffered in the 2024 national elections were less about the growth of opposition parties and more about the ANC’s own failures in governance,” Motsoeneng said..
Time for ethical and competent people
He added that they outlined urgent steps to fix local government, including redeployment of leadership in the municipalities, filling senior management positions with competent and ethical professionals before the end of the year, strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure proper service delivery and completion of infrastructure projects.
Also focusing on basic services such as water and electricity security, pothole eradication, job creation and promotion of township eeconomie as well as engagement with alliance partners such as SAMWU and SANCO to stabilise governance and improve accountability.
It’s a collective responsibility
The PEC also welcomed the voluntary step-aside of Councillor Mary Crocket from Maluti-a-Phofung due to legal challenges, saying this was in line with the ANC step-aside rule. The party admitted that the failures in municipalities represent collective leadership failures at both political and administrative levels.
“As part of our renewal drive, we will convene a Cadres Assembly to engage directly with communities and explain these decisions. The PEC has committed to taking a hard and honest path of renewal.
“Our goal is to restore credibility, renew public trust and demonstrate ethical leadership as we prepare for the 2026 Local Government Elections,” Motsoeneng said. – @NewsSA_Online.
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