President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday condemned a spate of attacks on political activists and reiterated promises to tackle Soweto’s chronic service delivery problems as the ANC campaigns ahead of local government elections.
Security concerns after recent killings
Speaking during a door‑to‑door campaign in Orlando and Diepkloof, Ramaphosa said the state must act decisively after several violent incidents targeting party members elsewhere in Gauteng and KwaZulu‑Natal. He urged the South African Police Service to leave no stone unturned in investigating the attacks.
“The killing of either people who are campaigning or even candidates is something that is completely unacceptable. We have actually said the police must turn every stone,”
According to reporting by Thapelo Molefe, four people — including members of the ANC Youth League — were shot dead in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni after attending a funeral service. Earlier this month two ANC members were shot dead and three others injured during a door‑to‑door campaign in uMgababa, south of Durban. Ramaphosa warned that violence could derail the local government elections and called on political leaders to discourage their supporters from using violence to gain advantage.
Water, electricity and ageing infrastructure
Ramaphosa acknowledged to residents that persistent water shortages and crumbling infrastructure were major challenges across Soweto. He told the crowds that the national government has set up a National Water Crisis Committee to support metros and municipalities in addressing shortages and repairing ageing infrastructure.
He also pointed to targeted power cuts — known locally as load reduction — as a growing problem for Soweto households. The president said the rapid increase in backyard rooms and illegal electricity connections has added strain to transformers, contributing to failures and outages.
- National Water Crisis Committee established to help municipalities deal with supply and infrastructure failures, Ramaphosa said.
- Load reduction identified as a consequence of overloaded infrastructure and illegal connections.
- Political violence condemned and police urged to investigate recent attacks thoroughly.
What this means for Soweto residents
The president’s visit places a spotlight on immediate pain points for township voters: unreliable water supply, electricity interruptions and the visible decay of municipal infrastructure. Those issues have direct daily consequences for households, informal traders and small businesses across Soweto.
Ramaphosa framed the interventions as operational rather than political, saying the focus should be on fixing problems rather than assigning blame. He warned, however, that unchecked population pressure and informal housing growth in areas such as Orlando are adding stress to existing networks — a reality that municipal engineers and planners in Johannesburg have long grappled with.
Residents in affected wards will be watching for concrete timelines and visible repairs. The National Water Crisis Committee’s role, as described by Ramaphosa, will be judged on whether it can accelerate maintenance, reduce pipe bursts and restore reliable supply in neighbourhoods that have endured repeated interruptions.
| Incident | Location | Reported casualties |
|---|---|---|
| Shooting after funeral | Katlehong, Ekurhuleni | 4 dead |
| Door‑to‑door campaign shooting | uMgababa, south of Durban | 2 dead, 3 injured |
Ramaphosa’s remarks come as the ANC attempts to steady support in townships ahead of the elections. For Soweto residents, the president’s words will need to be matched by faster repairs to water mains, targeted upgrades to electrical transformers and visible reductions in day‑to‑day outages if trust is to be rebuilt at the ballot box.
While the president pledged national support and condemned the recent killings, he stopped short of giving a detailed timetable for the repairs that residents want to see. Municipal authorities in Johannesburg now face pressure to translate the national interventions Ramaphosa outlined into practical, measurable outcomes on the ground in Soweto.
Reporting by Thapelo Molefe supplied the details of the incidents Ramaphosa referenced during the door‑to‑door campaign in Orlando and Diepkloof.
