MEDIA RELEASE 

2026-11-04

SUMMARY The Labour Party of South Africa (Labour Party) reflects on its 2026 Local Government Election campaign and paid tribute to the members, candidates, and ground forces who carried its message to communities across the country. The Party calls upon South Africans to consider the conditions within their communities and to vote for ethical, accountable, and service-driven local government.

As South Africans exercise their democratic right to vote, the Labour Party of South Africa (Labour Party) takes this opportunity to reflect on its election campaign and acknowledge the sacrifices made by its members and supporters in reaching this important moment. 

“In anticipation of the election results, it is important to commend the comrades on the ground who have worked tirelessly, often under difficult circumstances and with great personal sacrifice, to bring the Labour Party’s message to communities across the country. Their commitment and determination have brought us to this day”, said Joseph Mathunjwa, interim President of the Labour Party. 

These Local Government Elections are being contested against a deeply concerning backdrop of deteriorating living conditions and persistent failures in local governance. At the heart of local government are the basic services that determine the quality of life of ordinary people. Yet, across communities, residents continue to contend with unreliable water supply, inadequate sanitation, electricity challenges, deteriorating roads and poor refuse removal. 

“These are not items on a shopping list. They are the basic conditions that guarantee the dignity of ordinary citizens. One does not need to be an expert to assess the failures of local government. Take a walk or drive through our communities, and the evidence is there for everyone to see”, Mathunjwa said. 

The broader socioeconomic conditions facing South Africans make these failures even more unacceptable. According to Statistics South Africa, approximately 23.2 million people live below the lower-bound poverty line, representing roughly 38% of the national population. This is compounded by South Africa’s position among the most unequal societies in the world, where approximately 20% of the population holds more than 68% of total income. 

“South Africans are struggling, and the system is not helping them out of their circumstances. Poverty will persist if our population continues to grow while the economy stagnates and opportunities remain limited. What South Africa needs is leadership that places the dignity of its people at the centre of every decision. We cannot continue to govern as though the suffering of ordinary people is acceptable”, Mathunjwa noted. 

On 17 and 22 October 2026, during an election roadshow in Virginia, Free State, the Labour Party and its members joined efforts to clear an elderly woman’s property after sewage spillage had surrounded her home, creating an unhealthy environment and making it difficult for her and her family to live in dignity. 

“This is just one example of the lived experiences of millions of South Africans”, said Mathunjwa. 

“For 32 years, South Africans have been conditioned to accept far less than they deserve. People have been disappointed so many times that even acts of sincerity are now met with suspicion. I do not blame them. I only hope that, as they cast their votes, they will be able to distinguish between empty promises and genuine commitment to changing their circumstances”, Mathunjwa reflected. 

On 15 October 2026, the Constitutional Court, by majority order, set aside the decision not to accept the ANC’s candidate lists and Ward Candidate nominations. The order resulted in the reinstatement of 181 ANC candidates, comprising 51 Ward Candidates and 130 Proportional Representation Candidates, across six municipalities. 

In 2024, the Labour Party collected 51 542 supporting signatures, which were sufficient for it to contest nationally and in North West, Gauteng, Limpopo, and the Northern Cape. Although the required supporter information was uploaded for the national ballot and North West, the ‘Submit as final’ function on the IEC’s Online Candidate Nomination System could not be activated. The Labour Party’s subsequent legal challenge was unsuccessful, preventing it from contesting nationally and in the four provinces. 

“When our submission was rejected, it was treated as a matter of time management, and the Labour Party and its supporters were denied the opportunity to participate fully. When the ANC experienced difficulties with the same online system, 181 candidates were restored by the highest court. The law must apply equally to every political party, and equality before the law must mean equality in practice”, Mathunjwa said. 

“We can only hope that the electoral process will be free and fair. When we say, ‘Disrupt the Status Quo’, we are not calling for chaos or instability. We are calling for an end to the status quo of mediocrity, the mismanagement of public funds, the absence of accountability and corruption. These failures have disadvantaged ordinary people and denied them the dignity they deserve”, he explained. 

During engagements in the Eastern Cape, Mathunjwa also updated communities on the Labour Party’s continued determination to find a sustainable water solution for a village that continues to face water challenges. 

The Labour Party’s commitment is to move beyond promises and demonstrate that political leadership must be measured by its willingness to confront the everyday challenges facing communities. 

The Party pledges to work towards restoring reliable basic services, securing fair access to land and housing, rebuilding public infrastructure, creating decent local work, making communities safer, expanding opportunities for all and ensuring that municipalities are governed honestly, accountably and with financial discipline. 

“You cannot continue doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different outcome. If we want change, we must be prepared to make different choices”, Mathunjwa said. 

The Labour Party maintains that municipalities cannot create jobs through announcements and political slogans. Instead, they must use their assets, purchasing power, planning authority, service-delivery budgets, land and public facilities to unlock meaningful economic opportunities for residents, local enterprises, cooperatives, informal traders and young people. 

With Statistics South Africa recording youth unemployment at 47.4%, the scale of the challenge facing young South Africans remains deeply concerning. 

The Labour Party argues that young people must not be reduced to political decoration during election campaigns. They need more than motivational speeches and promises. They need access to skills development, productive facilities, digital infrastructure, safe spaces and genuine pathways into employment and enterprise. 

“Jobs are not created by slogans. Work is created when budgets are used properly, when maintenance backlogs become employment opportunities, when young people are trained, when local suppliers are paid on time and when municipalities stop outsourcing everything to politically connected companies. 

“Public money must create public value. Municipal resources must work for the working-class the people who generate and depend on them”, Mathunjwa said. 

In this regard, the Party maintains that Labour-led municipalities will review recurring outsourced services and assess which functions can be performed by properly equipped, trained and supervised municipal teams. Such an approach must be supported by sustainable budgets, adequate institutional capacity and fair labour standards. 

“Today, vote with your conscience and consider the conditions within your community. Choose leadership that will tell the truth, serve communities, restore dignity, and account for every public resource. The power to make a different choice is in your hands”, Mathunjwa concluded. 

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