Limpopo ANC chairperson Dr Phophi Ramathuba has warned that voter loyalty is conditional, not automatic, saying the ANC’s hopes of winning 90% of the vote in the province were dependent on whether they deliver services or not.
Fresh from her re-election at the ANC’s weekend elective conference, Ramathuba wasted no time setting the tone: the path to overwhelming political dominance runs through taps that work, roads that hold, and communities that function.
“If we were consistent in delivering basic services, we would overwhelmingly achieve 90%,” she said in an interview with NewZRoom Afrika on Monday.
“Our people are not asking for shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). They are asking for water, roads, and the ability to live with dignity.”
Her remarks come as President Cyril Ramaphosa pushes the party to raise its electoral support in Limpopo from 70% to 90%.
Across Limpopo’s rural expanse, service delivery failures are not abstract policy debates but daily crises.
In village after village, taps run dry, electricity is unreliable, and roads crumble under neglect and recent flood damage.
For many residents, accessing clean water means long walks to unsafe sources, while clinics and schools operate under severe strain due to failing infrastructure.
The consequences are profound: disrupted education, compromised healthcare, and stalled local economies.
Mounting frustration has increasingly spilled into protests, with communities demanding accountability from municipalities plagued by financial mismanagement, corruption, and chronic skills shortages.
Ramathuba acknowledged the scale of the challenge but insisted the solutions are neither complex nor out of reach.
“We know what needs to be done. We just have to do the correct thing,” she said. “If we prioritise water access, especially in rural areas, repair roads, rebuild after floods, and drive economic growth, people will respond.”
Her argument placed the ANC’s electoral fortunes squarely on its governance record at a time when public trust remains fragile.
Beyond service delivery, Ramathuba also pointed to internal divisions as a critical threat to the party’s prospects.
“We either unite or we perish,” she warned. “When we focus on factional battles, we lose sight of the issues that matter most to our people.”
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
IOL Politics
