Johannesburg – President Cyril Ramaphosa has sought to explain his earlier remarks urging ANC councillors to learn from the Democratic Alliance (DA), after his comments sparked a storm of debate this week.
Speaking at an ANC roll call meeting on Monday, Ramaphosa told councillors that DA-controlled municipalities often performed better in audit outcomes compared to those led by the ruling party. He urged councillors to study what municipalities like Cape Town and Stellenbosch were doing differently.
His statement was interpreted by some political analysts as an admission that the DA was running municipalities more effectively than the ANC. Political analyst Andre Duvenhage described the remarks as a signal of concern from Ramaphosa about governance in ANC-led councils, noting that the ruling party has been under growing pressure as support levels continue to decline ahead of next year’s local government elections.
Three days later, the president moved to balance his comments, telling SABC News that while DA municipalities often secure clean audits, they fall short in addressing deeper social and economic challenges. He cited communities in Philippi, Delft, Kayamandi and Langa, saying many residents still live with poverty, poor services and crime despite strong audit outcomes.
Ramaphosa admitted he should have been more thorough when addressing councillors earlier in the week. “The full equation is that there are compliance issues and there are the transformative issues. Both need to go hand in hand,” he said.
Alliance partners Cosatu and the SACP also weighed in, noting that DA municipalities often benefit from different socio-economic conditions and stronger investments, but said that in poorer areas such as Khayelitsha and Manenberg, residents face daily struggles with crime, unemployment and poor infrastructure.
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