By Johnathan Paoli
While the African National Congress has welcomed a Constitutional Court ruling that removes a blanket ban on all municipal employees from holding office, it believes it is important to maintain a professional and impartial public administration.
The Municipal Systems Amendment Act was declared unconstitutional. The law introduced sweeping prohibitions on political participation by municipal workers, extending what was previously a limited restriction – intended only for senior municipal managers – to all 350,000 employees in local government.
“We support the constitutional principle that there must be a clear separation between the state and political parties, particularly where that separation is necessary to preserve the integrity and functionality of governance,” said ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri.
“It was for this reason that the ANC initially supported carefully tailored limitations on political office-bearers within the senior administrative ranks of municipalities, a position that balanced constitutional rights with good governance.”
However, the broad and indiscriminate extension of this limitation to all municipal employees and frontline service roles went far beyond what was reasonable or necessary, she said.
Moving forward, the ANC urged all government institutions and public administration bodies to respect the court’s judgment and to adapt their policies accordingly.
“We call for ongoing dialogue on how best to achieve the goals of effective governance while fully respecting the rights of all employees,” the party said, adding that special attention should be given to those historically marginalised in the political landscape.
It reaffirmed its commitment to the values of democracy, constitutionalism and inclusive governance.
The party vowed to continue collaborating with its alliance partners and all sectors of society to ensure that South Africa’s governance structures and laws remain aligned with the principles of fairness, transparency and respect for human rights.
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