Social media users have slammed the ANC election campaign in Mpumalanga.
Just months before the local government elections, the ANC has been accused of being out of touch with the daily struggles of ordinary South Africans. In the latest incident, the party has been seen giving out bread as part of its election campaign.
In a video circulating on social media, party volunteers can be seen with a tray of loaves of bread and handing them out to the community. One of the volunteers can be heard saying: We are here from the ANC, one loaf one family, ANC is life, so one loaf means a lot,” she said. Her remarks were followed by applause from those who were at this event.
ANC demands a report
According to reports, the incident took place in Mpumalanga, but ANC provincial secretary Muzi Chirwa has denied it. He told The Citizen on Wednesday that the ANC would normally not embark on a campaign to hand out bread; instead, they would hand out food parcels.
“I do not think this is our province,” he said.
Chirwa said he had noted that there are already people using this circulating video to mock the ANC and party president Cyril Ramaphosa. “I saw that there is a t-shirt with a loaf of bread and the face of the president.”
Despite Chirwa saying he knows nothing about the event, another ANC official confirmed it took place in Mpumalanga. According to the official, the ANC in the province is awaiting a detailed report from the ANC in the Inkangala District Municipality, where the occasion took place.
Social media users were critical of the ANC’s campaign tactics, with some saying they are undermining the intelligence of poor South Africans.
“You create poverty, and then you bribe people with loaves of bread, then you are going to make them suffer for the next five years,” said Jomamaskombi on TikTok.
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ANC’s declining support
According to some reports, this is not the first time the ANC has been seen giving food to communities months before elections.
“One loaf means a lot” says ANC as they have started campaigning. pic.twitter.com/fJBukCzdvq
– PSAFLIVE (@PSAFLIVE) March 10, 2026
Since the 2016 Local Government Elections, the ANC has been slowly losing control of major municipalities, including Johannesburg, Tshwane, and the City of Cape Town. A recent report by their secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, indicated that the party was losing support in urban areas. Provinces, like Mpulanaga, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, still remained under the firm control of the ANC.
Political analyst Theo Neethling says the ANC understands that it is in trouble and has fashioned its campaign in a manner that it hopes will help it regain lost support.
“The ANC’s strategy is largely defensive and recovery-oriented. After declining electoral support in recent elections, the party is focusing on rebuilding local structures, strengthening branch organisation, and selecting more credible councillor candidates.
“Its campaign message emphasises renewal, transformation, and its historical role in the liberation struggle, while mobilising its traditional support base in townships and rural areas – and the latter shows similarities with Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe’s rural areas where the party still enjoys considerable support,” said Neethling.
How is the opposition doing it?
Meanwhile, Neethling said the ANC’s biggest rival, the DA, has a strategy that is more offensive and performance-driven.
“The party campaigns strongly on service delivery and good governance, highlighting municipalities where it governs as examples of effective administration. It is targeting urban and metropolitan voters, particularly in major cities such as Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, and positioning itself as a key player in coalition politics,” he said.
It is not clear if the ANC will go to the local government elections with Ramaphosa’s face as the face of their election campaign. The party has not announced any mayoral candidates for the municipalities in which it is competing.
The party says it has a different approach from other parties when it comes to selecting mayoral candidates.
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