BUSHBUCKRIDGE, MPUMALANGA — As the countdown to the Local Government Elections (LGE) 2026 intensifies, the African People’s Convention (APC) has officially unveiled its mayoral candidates in Mpumalanga, targeting critical service delivery failures in the Bushbuckridge, Dr JS Moroka, and Thembisile Hani local municipalities.
Addressing an enthusiastic crowd of supporters eager for political change, APC President Themba Godi emphasized that the party’s candidate selection process is a strategic deployment of qualified leaders rather than a mere “box-ticking exercise.” The party is focusing its efforts strictly on municipalities where it has established capacity, grassroots support, and a proven track record of community service.
Strategic Deployments Over “Box-Ticking”
The newly announced mayoral candidate for the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality is the party’s provincial secretary—a locally born activist with a deep history of advocating for the region’s roads, healthcare, and education sectors. According to party leadership, the candidate was selected because of his discipline, community involvement, and intimate understanding of the area’s unique socio-economic challenges.
Beyond the mayoral announcements, the APC highlighted its broader grassroots interventions in the region, including successful campaigns to ensure local traditional leaders (indunas) are compensated and ongoing efforts to secure permanent government employment for community healthcare workers.
Addressing the Water and Infrastructure Paradox
Bushbuckridge remains a flashpoint for service delivery protests, battling severe youth unemployment, decaying public infrastructure, and a paradoxical water crisis. During the address, Godi pointed out the glaring irony of the local water shortage: the Inyaka Dam, located just 30 kilometers away, is currently overflowing, yet deep rural residents are still forced to walk long distances to access basic water supplies.
Furthermore, the region’s road infrastructure continues to hinder economic mobility. Godi noted that many deep rural gravel roads become entirely inaccessible during the rainy season, isolating communities despite the municipality operating on a multi-billion-rand budget.
A Hard Stance Against Municipal Corruption
Drawing on his extensive experience as a former chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA)—a role he held for roughly 13 years—Godi launched a sharp critique against rival political parties and the current state of local government.
He argued that municipalities cannot be fixed by the very leaders who engineered their collapse. “We cannot expect those who have created the problems to solve them,” Godi stated, asserting that individuals who have failed to manage public funds have no business seeking re-election.
Godi accused competing parties of fielding compliant, unqualified candidates, describing them as “blind people” intended to be manipulated by corrupt top officials to facilitate the mismanagement of public resources. In contrast, he noted that the APC’s strict organizational culture of service has kept its members off the radar of the Madlanga Commission, which is currently investigating systemic corruption.
Accountability and National Expansion
Operating under the slogan “Serve the People,” the APC maintains that its representatives are driven by community upliftment rather than the prospect of material enrichment. Godi assured voters that the party enforces strict accountability, noting a history of removing underperforming public representatives before their terms conclude if they fail to deliver on their mandates.
“Don’t betray the people who voted for you. Don’t be like other organizations,” Godi warned his newly deployed cadres, urging them to remain quick to respond to the needs of the public.
The Mpumalanga announcements follow recent candidate unveilings in Limpopo. As a smaller party with a growing national footprint, the APC plans to continue rolling out its mayoral lists across other provinces, including North West and the Eastern Cape, as it expands its 2026 election campaign to offer voters a definitive alternative to the political status quo.
