The African National Congress (ANC) has taken its 2019 election manifesto review process to KwaZulu-Natal province.
Speaking to the media on 8 October 2023, the party’s secretary general, Fikile Mbalula, highlighted the progress made under ANC rule since 1994.
Access to electricity was 36% then, he said, and “now we are almost at 100%”.
We fact-checked this claim when it was made by president Cyril Ramaphosa in September 2023. Here’s why it’s still incorrect.
Comparing access
It is true that household access to electricity has improved since 1994.
According to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), 89.6% of households were connected to the electricity grid in 2022.
Access was highest in Limpopo province (96.4%) and lowest in Gauteng (83.1%) where Stats SA said rapid in-migration and an increase in the numbers of households had led to a decline.
The earliest available data on electricity connections is from the 1995 October household survey. It showed that 63.5% of households had access to electricity at that time.
However, due to several methodological problems with the survey, Stats SA previously told Africa Check that the 1996 census was a more credible source of data. It found that 58% of households used electricity for lighting. Almost 48% used electricity for cooking and 46.5% for heating.
The Southern Africa Labour Development Research Unit conducted a national survey of living conditions in South Africa in 1993 and 1994. This earlier survey also contradicts Mbalula’s claim. It estimated that 53.6% of all households had access to electricity.
All data sources indicate that access to electricity was higher than 36% in 1994. Claiming a lower figure makes increased levels of access under the ANC seem more impressive.
Why it matters
In 2024, South Africans will go to the polls. Decisions about who to vote for will be influenced by many factors, including the information shared by political parties. Facts matter, especially during election season.
Political parties have a role to play here. By fact-checking this claim again, we’re not trying to catch anyone out. We’re hoping that they will get it right in the end.
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