ANC feels the local poll pressure
With barely 6 weeks until municipal elections on August 3, the ANC finds itself under substantial pressure. The governing party is struggling with a number of interlinked challenges that are hampering the development of a groundswell of campaign enthusiasm so vital to mobilse voters.
The usual controversies surrounding candidate selection procedures have once again caused deep divisions. Despite this being a perennial issue, the ANC have struggled to secure community buy-in for the current crop of candidate nominations that have left deep scars mired in protests with often-violent outcomes.
And, after 21 years of not announcing Mayoral candidates prior to local polls, the ANC have been forced to be much more reactive in the face of Opposition demands - and in particular more effective personality-driven campaigns from the DA.
Under pressure, their announcement of Mayoral-elect candidates late on Saturday night was itself fraught with internal wrangling.
To add to the ANC’s problems, the governing party was unable to make a critical appointment of its Tshwane Mayoral candidate due to deep divisions. At the time of writing there were unconfirmed reports that former cabinet minister Thoko Didiza would step in as a replacement for the sitting Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa. This in itself is an indication of the substantial concern the party has for its continued governance nation’s capital.