ORANGE FARM, GAUTENG — ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing intense scrutiny over the ongoing water crisis and systemic service delivery failures as he takes the ANC’s local government election campaign directly to the doorsteps of residents in Orange Farm and Hammanskraal. Communities that have endured years of unreliable water supply, prolonged interruptions, and a heavy dependence on water tankers are using the president’s visit to demand concrete answers and accountability.
The door-to-door campaign has highlighted the stark infrastructural challenges plaguing these long-established townships. Residents navigating Orange Farm point to severely deteriorated roads and damaged electricity infrastructure, with visible signs of tampering compounding the area’s service delivery deficits. While the president’s previous campaign stops in townships such as Jabulani and Tshepisong focused heavily on electricity affordability and sustainable connectivity, the defining issue in Orange Farm and Hammanskraal remains water. For many residents, reliance on municipal water tankers has transitioned from an emergency measure to a permanent, decade-long fixture, with taps running dry for weeks at a time and forcing communities to wait hours daily or travel to neighboring extensions for basic access.
The campaign’s focus on water is particularly acute in Hammanskraal, where the narrative is deeply tied to the historical failure of the Roodeplaat Water Treatment Plant. Residents continue to grapple with accessing clean water, a crisis that previously culminated in a severe cholera outbreak. This history has raised persistent questions about the effectiveness and functionality of local government management in the area, making it a central point of contention as the ANC asks voters for another term.
During the house-to-house engagements, the president interacted with a cross-section of the community, yielding mixed but deeply personal reflections. Some elderly residents acknowledged past ANC achievements, citing improved access to housing, newly built community schools, and the vital safety net of social grants. However, younger residents painted a much bleaker picture of their present and future. Local youth highlighted the daily realities of sewage spilling into streets, the absence of functional multi-purpose centers and libraries, and having only a single police station to serve thousands of people. One young resident revealed the profound stigma associated with their address, noting that they must list a different municipality on job applications because employers routinely reject applicants from Orange Farm. Furthermore, unfulfilled promises regarding short-term government construction and maintenance projects have fueled local frustrations over perceived nepotism and a lack of genuine economic opportunity.
The service delivery narrative has also sparked political friction. A recent billboard erected by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane explicitly highlighted the community’s reliance on water tankers, aiming to hold the ruling party accountable. In response, Gauteng Premier and ANC Chairperson Panyaza Lesufi strongly condemned the move as an opportunistic stunt. Lesufi argued that the DA is directly responsible for appointing the current water tanker contractors in Tshwane and should not attempt to distance the party from the ongoing crisis.
Addressing the mounting pressure, President Ramaphosa assured residents that the water crisis is a priority. He stated that the matter will be urgently attended to, revealing that the premier has placed the issue on the agenda for an upcoming meeting with the Minister of Finance. This commitment comes as residents continue to demand tangible solutions, noting that reports of dry taps in Orange Farm have been documented as early as 2016. As the local government election campaign intensifies, the ANC faces the formidable task of translating these high-level promises into the reliable, everyday service delivery that communities in Orange Farm and Hammanskraal have been waiting years to see.
