The ANC has deployed top national officials to oversee the performance of its deployees in the eight metropolitan municipalities.
The decision is said to have been taken by the national working committee (NWC) during its visit to the Free State this month in anticipation of the 2026 local government elections.
It comes after the party's leadership said it was concerned with the deteriorating state of metros such as Johannesburg and others across the country. The party's leaders are also said to have argued that intervention was necessary to avoid losing even more metros in the polls.
“We have to give attention to the metros because of the collapse we are seeing. The idea is to first strengthen the regions, the ANC itself, and then governance and service delivery in those metros,” said an NWC member.
“We are sending officials to be in charge of those metros. They will be overseeing and will be responsible. We have essentially deployed ourselves as the NWC to take care of the regions. We are not disbanding but we are taking over, including the branch functionality.”
This is a recommendation that still needs to be approved by the party's national executive committee (NEC).
As it stands, the ANC is co-governing with other parties in almost all the municipalities except Cape Town — after failing to clinch outright victories. They managed to elect ANC mayors in six of the eight metros and have an ANC deputy mayor in Tshwane.
[Out top leaders] will be overseeing and will be responsible ... We are taking over, including branch functionality
The ANC runs these metros at the mercy of other parties and is worried about fully losing them at the polls unless serious interventions are made on governance.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is said to have been deployed to oversee the Tshwane metro which has an ActionSA mayor, Nasiphi Moya, via an agreement with the ANC and the EFF. Ramaphosa is a possibility for the important eThekwini metro as well.
Mangaung in the Free State will be under the leadership of Deputy President Paul Mashatile while national chair Gwede Mantashe will steer the ANC in Cape Town.
The party's secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, will oversee Johannesburg, which has been a concern, while his two deputies Nomvula Mokonyane and Maropene Ramokgopa take over Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay.
The party's treasurer-general, Gwen Ramokgopa, has been deployed to Buffalo City.
The ANC has previously intervened in its critical metros after an analysis was done that showed they were decaying.
As president of the country, Ramaphosa in February last year put in place a presidential working team in eThekwini after numerous complaints from businesses in the area. The presidential intervention team has had a successful stint there with notable improvements. The same intervention is being made in Johannesburg.
An NWC member said the interventions of the most senior leaders of the party will go a long way in clawing back support before the elections.
The focus on the metros came about because reports after the 2021 local government elections and last year's polls showed the party had lost support in urban areas.
“We are literally taking over the organisation. We have realised that if we get the metros right, we are done as far as the local government elections as concerned, even the national elections in 2026,” said the leader.
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