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ANC’s 114th birthday celebrations at Moruleng Stadium, outside Rustenburg
With local elections just few months away, the African National Congress (ANC) has declared 2026 as the year to fix local government and transform the economy.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the party’s January 8 Statement at Moruleng Stadium, outside Rustenburg on Saturday.
The ANC’s main 114th birthday celebrations were attended by thousands of party faithfuls, leaders from the alliance partners, as well as fraternal parties, which included Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) , Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), as well as diplomats from Cuba, Venezuela and Palestine, among others.
WATCH | ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa says: “We cannot accept a dysfunctional, apathetic, and uncaring local government in this day and age that does not provide services to our people.” pic.twitter.com/U5mwK5p8sW
— SABC News (@SABCNews) January 10, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkxOlSnRZxs
Another milestone for one of the oldest liberation movement on the continent at 114 years. Party faithfuls braved the scorching sun to attend and to listen to their president’s marching orders as he unveiled the party’s action plan for the year ahead.
Although President Ramphosa received a warm welcome, he is aware of the serious challenges his party faces as it prepares for the next local elections.
Governing nationally at the mercy of some nine parties in the GNU and with the party’s naysayers saying is facing extinction, the ANC president says the party once reverred as the leader of society is here to stay.
ANC President says, ”Many have not wished us well they have continued to say the ANC is going to die. They have continued to say we are now facing the last years of existence of the ANC. They have said this in the entire 114 years and we are still around. We are going to be around for the next 114 years as the ANC — whether they like it or not the ANC is here to stay.”
But, for the ANC president, not only words of denial are enough. He implored ANC branches to go back to basics and be rooted within communities.
Ramaphosa adds, ”ANC branches must reconnect with communities. Some of them are not calling meetings. From now if they don’t do what we expect them to do we will remove them.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1JDmP_DVSs
And this is what is in the offing for all party branches this year.
Grassroots campaigns
”In 2026, we will undertake a nationwide campaign to rebuild every branch of the ANC into an activist branch. We call on all ANC members to be involved in grassroots campaigns to solve community problems and promote community development and safety,” says ANC President.
He says that as they head to the local polls this year, the government will refocus the party and make its presence felt in this sphere of government by interfacing with people through service delivery.
”We cannot accept dysfunctional, apathetic, uncaring local government. We cannot accept an economy that only works for the few. We cannot bow our heads and accept defeat. Our forebears demonstrated the bravery 114 years ago. We, therefore declare 2026 as the year of decisive action to fix local government and transform the economy.”
Tripartite alliance
And on their alliance with South African Communist Party which stems decades, but now threatened by their differences which emanated from what the party said is refusal to reconfigure the alliance in two decades, the ANC president says they will fight to save the tripartite alliance.
“The ANC will not abandon its responsibility to unite the Alliance and develop a common approach to the renewal and reconfiguration program. The NEC will convene a series of Alliance meetings in this regard. We want to make it clear: all ANC members will be required, as per the Constitution, to campaign for ANC victory in the forthcoming local government elections. There must be no confusion.”
The next rotational ANC January 8 Statement or simply its 115th birthday celebrations will be held in the Northern Cape next year.
LIVESTREAM| ANC January 8 Statement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4PAqA40K5Y
