South Africa’s high unemployment rate remains a central political challenge as parties set out competing remedies ahead of local elections. The African National Congress (ANC) has presented a set of municipal-centred measures it says will stimulate local economic activity and create jobs.
ANC places municipalities at the centre of recovery
According to the ANC manifesto reported by The Citizen, the party intends to harness municipalities as primary engines of local growth by bringing business and industry into urban, township and rural spaces. The plan combines regulatory reform at municipal level, an increased role for public employment schemes and targeted support for small businesses, cooperatives and local factories.
The party proposes administrative and procurement changes to make local government more investor-friendly, including streamlined online business services and quicker building approvals. It also signals a commitment to improve basic services, public safety and town centres to attract private investment.
"pay every compliant and legitimate supplier within thirty days, so that the small businesses that employ our people are not made to carry the municipality’s cash flow."
The manifesto promise to enforce prompt municipal payments is notable because delayed payments by municipalities are widely understood to strain small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that rely on municipal contracts for cash flow.
Expanded public employment and skills thrust
The ANC plans to expand existing public employment programmes such as the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and the Community Work Programme (CWP). Reported proposals include combining these large public job schemes with trade apprenticeships and other youth-targeted training to anchor employment while delivering local infrastructure improvements.
Party documents cited by the report state the combined programmes aim to provide up to one million work, training and enterprise opportunities. The ANC also intends to use municipal procurement deliberately to support local economic activity.
- Investor facilitation: online business services and faster approvals at municipal level
- Procurement reform: strict enforcement of 30-day payment terms for compliant suppliers
- Public employment: expansion of EPWP and CWP and inclusion of trade apprenticeships
| Policy area | ANC proposal |
|---|---|
| Municipal reform | Investor-friendly services and faster building approvals |
| Supplier payments | Pay compliant suppliers within 30 days |
| Public employment | Expand EPWP and CWP to create up to 1 million opportunities |
While the report notes that the country’s major parties propose a range of responses — from regulatory easing and flexible labour laws to broader state ownership and direct job guarantees — the published excerpt provides full detail only on the ANC’s approach.
Placing municipalities at the heart of job creation responds to persistent critiques that national-level initiatives have not always translated into local economic revival. If implemented, the ANC’s package would require municipalities to strengthen administrative capability, accelerate payments, and coordinate with national agencies that fund and oversee public employment programmes.
Practical challenges could limit the impact of those proposals. Municipalities face widespread capacity constraints, fiscal pressures and service delivery backlogs. Delivering expanded public works at scale will depend on reliable funding, rigorous project management and systems to ensure training leads to sustainable employment.
As parties continue to set out their manifestos in the run-up to local polls, the debate on unemployment is likely to focus on which level of government should carry primary responsibility for creating jobs, and whether short-term public employment schemes can be matched by policies that stimulate private-sector hiring and long-term growth.
Further reporting and party releases will be needed to compare the ANC’s proposals with those of other major parties and to assess the likely fiscal and operational implications of each plan.
