The African National Congress (ANC) has asserted that access to essential services including clean water, sanitation, electricity, and formal housing has improved nationwide since the 2021 local government elections, citing official statistics and government reports published between 2024 and 2026. However, persistent issues such as frequent water supply interruptions and mail delivery delays remain widespread, according to data released by Statistics South Africa and related agencies.

Official Data Shows Mixed Gains In Basic Services

According to the 2025 General Household Survey, 88.5% of households had access to clean water in 2022 compared to 85.1% in 2011, while improved sanitation rose from 68.9% to 80.7% in the same period. The proportion of formal dwellings increased from 73.5% in 2002 to 84.2%, and access to electricity reached 90.6% in 2025—up from 76.7% in 2002, reflecting gradual progress in basic infrastructure delivery.

Despite these advances, service reliability remains a challenge. The 2025 survey recorded that 56.8% of households experienced water supply interruptions, including 37.6% who faced prolonged outages exceeding two days or lasting more than 15 days cumulatively. The South African Post Office improved its mail delivery standard from 45.15% to 62.13% between its 2024 and 2025 financial years, but overall performance remained below target, as detailed by the agency’s annual reports.

Government Response And Continuing Challenges

Addressing these figures, Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa stated, “In the period under review, load shedding had been eliminated,” at a recent media briefing. He reaffirmed that electricity transmission would remain under state control, describing it as “a naturally occurring monopoly.”

Human settlements minister Thembi Simelane said, “The scale of the current human settlement programs demonstrates the extent of the investment being made across the country.” Deputy minister David Mahlobo added, “One of the decisions is to say where municipalities are failing; within the available statutory resources, we shall intervene.”

The ANC has repeatedly acknowledged ongoing shortcomings, emphasising plans for further intervention in municipalities where service delivery does not meet established standards. These promises come as residents in several areas continue to face unreliable access to basic services, particularly water and postal delivery, despite national-level improvements.

The next major assessment of municipal service delivery is anticipated in upcoming household and infrastructure reports from Statistics South Africa, with government departments expected to announce new measures for underperforming areas.