As we await a date to be announced for the 2016 local government elections; it's undeniable that campaigning has begun. The electorate will cast their votes for a governing representative on a metropolitan, local and district level. The ANC face an uphill battle in this year's elections due in large part to the implementation of e-tolls, a decline in support and a lack of service delivery, which critics says has hurt the party. The ruling party is under severe pressure to retain control of hotly contested municipalities such as Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, and Nelson Mandela Bay.. On the Forum@8 this morning we assess the readiness of political parties ahead of the 2016 local government elections. Author of Dominance and Decline: The ANC in the time of Zuma and also a professor in the Graduate School of Public and Development Management at Wits University Prof Susan Booysens, Political Analyst Elvis Masoga and Ebrahim Fakir Manager of Governance Institutions and Processes at the Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa.