After losing the country’s key metros, the governing party should prepare to work hard in the opposition benches and ensure that its gains were not reversed, the African National Congress (ANC) said on Tuesday.

ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe called on ANC councillors “to be vigilant”.

“In municipalities we do not govern, members of the ANC are called upon to constitute an effective and activist opposition. Ours is not to block or delay service delivery but rather to protect the gains of our revolution and rally against any actions to reverse these,” Mantashe told reporters in Johannesburg.

“ANC councillors must continue to be the fearless voice of the people. We must be vigilant against attempts to negate the strides made by blacks in general through effective instruments created by the ANC, such as affirmative action and black economic empowerment.”

The governing party is faced with a mammoth task of trying to win back the trust of South African voters after it failed to get an outright majority at 27 hung councils after the local government elections earlier this month. The Democratic Alliance (DA) took over Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay, thanks to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) that gave it its vote to unseat the ANC. In the Western Cape, the ANC failed to snatch Cape Town from the DA, which cemented its support base there by garnering over 60 percent of the vote in the metro.

The ANC’s national executive committee would visit communities in coming days to find out what led to the decline in support, said Mantashe.

“This will be the commencement of a comprehensive programme throughout the country, especially in areas we have witnessed a significant electoral decline. These engagements are intended to ensure that we understand and appreciate all factors that have led to the electoral outcomes and take decisive action against these.”