ANC Western Cape sets March 15 for ward nominations and emphasises councillor safety

The ANC Western Cape Provincial Task Team (PTT) held a conference in Salt River on Tuesday, outlining plans for the upcoming local government elections, service delivery, leadership renewal, and councillor protection across the province.

Speaking at the Salt River conference, ANC spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni and convener Jeremiah Thuynsma confirmed that the ward councillor selection process will begin on March 15, with branches tasked to nominate candidates.

“From 15 March, branches will look at who will be the best person to serve as a ward candidate. The branch will nominate potential people, and leadership will guide the process,” Mtsweni said.

The PTT outlined its broader plans for the local government elections, which include strengthening branch structures, intervening in municipalities where councillors are underperforming, and reviewing coalition agreements to ensure service delivery and good governance.

The task team will also deploy Regional Task Teams in the West Coast, Boland, and Overberg to restore organisational capacity ahead of the polls.

Service delivery challenges and councillor safety were central topics.

Thuynsma stressed that councillors are often misunderstood.

“People expect councillors to hand out contracts, build houses, and fix roads. That’s not how it works. Councillors oversee these decisions and monitor the work that has been done,” he said.

The recent murder of ANC Councillor, Lazola Gungxe, underscored the urgent need to protect elected representatives.

“Every term of office, a councillor dies. It is worrying that the police are not able to connect the dots on who is doing it. We want the provincial government and municipalities to come up with a plan for councillor protection,” he added.

The conference also addressed the state of the ANC in the province, noting that the Central Karoo Region will hold its regional conference later this month, while the Southern Cape will be assessed within 14 days.

Local government and coalition challenges were discussed, including housing backlogs, unplaced learners, water crises, and mismanagement in municipalities such as George, Witzenberg, Gansbaai, and Saldanha.

The PTT criticised the City of Cape Town for selling historic monuments, including the Good Hope Centre, and for building a wall “to hide the shame they have inflicted on our people”.

Leadership renewal and accountability were emphasised, including the role of Ebrahim Rasool in guiding the ANC’s provincial strategy.

Councillors were urged to uphold ethics and good governance, and the PTT promised to work with law enforcement where malfeasance or corruption is identified.

On the international front, the statement by the ANC WC PTT condemned attacks against Iran and the detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, while calling for decisive United Nations action.

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