The ANC has demonstrated that it is the only political party capable of rescuing Johannesburg, says its regional secretary Sasabona Manganye.

In an exclusive interview with the Mail \& Guardian last week, he said Joburgers should ensure the ANC received an overwhelming majority in the November local government elections so that it could govern alone and take full accountability. He said coalition politics would not address the city’s challenges.

"People like to say we have been leading Johannesburg for too long but we believe that the people of Johannesburg must give us another mandate so that we can continue," he said.

The ANC governed the City of Gold after 1994 but was ousted by a Democratic Alliance-led coalition in 2016. At the time, then-mayor Parks Tau was replaced by DA mayor Herman Mashaba, who himself later resigned because of internal party pressure.

Since then, at least nine mayors, including the incumbent, Dada Morero, have led the city.

Four of the mayors have been from the ANC, two from the DA and two from Al Jama-ah.

"We left the City of Johannesburg with a surplus when Comrade Parks Tau was the mayor. When people say we messed up the city, what do they mean? When you manage finances well, it enables you to address the challenges you are faced with. But when you mess up the finances of the city, you won't have the capacity to resolve those challenges.

"Our major challenge is how to make Johannesburg financially sustainable. We started with the former regional chair, who is now the mayor, and now we have the current regional chair, who is the Finance MMC. That's how serious we are about becoming financially sustainable."

Manganye said the ANC had proved, through the improvement of townships such as Soweto, that the party was capable of enhancing people's lives.

He said Soweto could not be compared with any other township in the country because the township had the feel of Sandton, thanks to the ANC’s improvements.

"We want the people to vote for the ANC because, as you know, the ANC has been taking care of the needs of our people even beyond local government.

"The mother of an unemployed child is able to put food on the table because of the ANC. That child is able to go to school without paying a cent and some even have scholar transport and receive meals at school because of ANC policies."

He said some beneficiaries were able to further their studies beyond secondary school, adding that the ANC had created the conditions for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.

"They can obtain a first degree even when their parents are not working and that is the organisation that the people of South Africa and Johannesburg need."

The ANC is yet to announce its Johannesburg mayoral candidate. The party's national executive has interviewed at least three people. The M\&G understands they are Morero, current ANC regional chair Loyiso Masuku and Frank Chikane.

Manganye said the candidate the party's national executive appointed as mayor would have the regional leadership’s support.