Ramaphosa's candid comments on ANC municipalities spark controversy

President Cyril Ramaphosa's comments regarding ANC-run municipalities were damaging and the platform he used was not appropriate. 

This is the reaction of ANC councillors and mayors to the ANC leader's utterances that party leaders should learn from DA run-municipalities. 

While the remarks are accurate, they added, the timing and the platform used to air them have exposed them to being mocked and de-campaigned by the opposition. 

Other ANC leaders took to social media to accuse Ramaphosa of being an “agent” sabotaging the ANC on behalf of the DA.

President Ramaphosa admitted during a roll call with ANC councillors at the FNB stadium on Monday, where he revealed that DA-run municipalities were in much better shape than those of the ANC. 

"What is it that they are doing that is better than what we are doing?" He added, "We need to be moving up the ladder of being good at what we do; we cannot remain at the bottom. It hurts me deeply when I continue to see that our (ANC) municipalities sometimes move backwards."

A councillor from Msunduzi Municipality stated that the remarks were damaging but true. “He spoke like a businessman, and we have to learn from others.” He added that the remarks did give the opposition something to campaign on.

“They are already using this in slogans and campaigning against us, but we understand that we are heading towards elections and we have come across as fools who do not do the work. The statement could have been made privately, but we hope that by the time the elections come, things will have changed. If we focus on our jobs and deliver, I believe the public's confidence in us will return.”

He spoke on the general tone of the engagements and the direction given by the ANC leadership to councillors. “It was clear during the engagement that the problems faced by municipalities across the country are the same: it's water, it's ageing infrastructure, it's potholes. The message was clear that we were told that we must improve all these service delivery matters.”

Another issue that was addressed was that of people who do not want to work. The leadership raised concerns about the lack of consequence management and the shortage of funds.

“In my own municipality of Msunduzi, there is a shortage of money. As a ward councillor, I am elected with a mandate from the community based on their needs, only to find that we cannot implement some of the projects because there is no money.”

"Another issue that we have been complaining about, which the leadership has assured us will be attended to, is that of consequence management. We have been complaining that there are managers who are just sitting with business plans and not doing the work," he said. 

An ordinary ANC member from the Midlands said, “I see nothing wrong with what he said. I completely get the congressman in accepting and saying that the reality is that if we think we know it all and that all that is good comes from us alone, then we will be lying. I think it’s a wise decision; he spoke like a true congressman.”

Another ANC member, speaking on the comments, said, “The opinions on the president's speech are divided. Some say he is right, and others disagree. Personally, I believe that he was correct in saying it; I just think he said it at the wrong place and the wrong time. He should not have said it so publicly.”

Supporters of the party took exception to the comments, claiming that it was clear the president was intentionally trying to sabotage the ANC. 

They rejected the narrative that there was no good governance in DA municipalities. "DA does not care about the people in the townships who live under its own municipalities. That is not good  good governance at all.”

Political analyst Asanda Ngoasheng told a news channel that the comments made by the president were dangerous as they gave the DA too much credit.

"I do wish he had qualified his statements further because having a good record of financial management does not mean the people who live in these municipalities are experiencing better services. If you look at where the DA governs, you would know that a lot of the suburbs do get good service and the quality of life of people who live in the suburbs is good. However, when you look at the people in townships and the lives they lead, it’s chalk and cheese, yet it’s the same party. So I think it's quite dangerous what he has said," she added, emphasising that good governance and transformation are important.

Mayor Chris Pappas, who is at the helm of the only DA-run municipality in KwaZulu-Natal-Natal,  said uMngeni Municipality welcomed the presidents remarks, "In uMngeni, we are not only reversing 27 years of ANC mismanagement and corruption, but we’ve been achieving this progress despite operating within a struggling province. This speaks volumes about our resilience and commitment to principled, effective governance.

"So far, we have hosted delegations from at least three ANC- and IFP-run municipalities who have come to learn from our approach, and we will continue to welcome others seeking to improve their service delivery. uMngeni is moving forward, even as many of our neighbouring municipalities continue to fall behind," he said.