CASE IN POINT: As the local elections draw near, the stakes for the ANC couldn't be higher. With rising concerns over qualifications and allegations of misconduct, how the party handles these pressing issues will set the tone for its political future and the integrity of local governance across South Africa.
South Africa is due to vote in local government elections on 4 November. The ANC goes in promising to take back municipalities it lost and hold the ones it still runs. Last November its NEC approved how it would pick who gets to run them.
The new guidelines are clear: councillors must hold a matric. Mayors, speakers and chief whips must hold a tertiary qualification from an accredited institution and have at least three years' service as an MP, MPL or councillor.
It was the most honest admission the party has made that its local government crisis is a competence crisis.
Now that honesty is being tested twice. The first test came at ward level. Provincial structures asked for waivers for popular candidates without matric. The electoral committee chaired by Kgalema Motlanthe rejected every recommendation as being without merit, saying none demonstrated exceptional attributes that would justify retaining them.
