Mantashe blasts 'singing councillors' as service delivery crumbles

ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe took aim at his party's council members at the FNB stadium in Gauteng, saying that while they are good at singing and creating noise, they are not good at managing councils.

“I know we have a lot of singing councillors but we have no councils. You all sing well but capacity dololo [nothing],” he told a rowdy crowd. 

Mantashe said this was the kind of leadership that the roll call was made for. 

“That is the council we are having. Comrades who are councillors, leaders of the ANC, who make noise when a meeting is underway. What kind of leadership is that?” 

The comments come amid growing internal criticism of the ANC’s performance at the local government level, particularly regarding poor service delivery, failing municipalities, and rising public anger.

Over the weekend, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the issue at a special ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Boksburg, where he blamed underperforming councillors and deployees in local government for the recent wave of service delivery protests across South Africa.

“Often, protests happen not because people are unreasonable, but because they are not informed about the real challenges municipalities are facing,” Ramaphosa said.

He accused some ANC representatives of being “absent without leave,” neglecting their constitutional duty to engage with communities, communicate challenges transparently, and build trust with residents.

“Where there is honest consultation, people do understand — but when leaders are missing, frustration turns to protest,” Ramaphosa warned.

The President is expected to unveil a new action plan aimed at restoring service delivery and rebuilding public confidence in the ANC’s local government structures.

This strategy will form a key part of the party’s preparation for the 2026 local government elections, where performance at the grassroots level could make or break its electoral prospects.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za 

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