ANC must learn from how Cape Town does it — Ramaphosa

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa told a convention of over 4,600 party councillors that they should learn from how the Democratic Alliance runs its municipalities.

“We control a number of Municipalities, and it is painful each time the auditor general comes to report to cabinet and the report shows that the municipalities that do best are not ANC-controlled,” he said.

“Those municipalities that do best are not ANC-controlled municipalities, and I can say it here because there is nothing wrong with competition. They are often DA-controlled municipalities. 

“We need to ask ourselves what they are doing that we are not,” Ramaphosa continued. “There is nothing wrong with us saying that we want to go and see what Cape Town and Stellenbosch are doing. We need to move up the ladder.”

In response to Ramaphosa’s comments, the DA thanked the President for “recognition where it’s due.”

“Where we govern, the DA performs at the highest levels, delivers services, spends public money on the public, and eliminates corruption.”

The Auditor General of South Africa’s report for the 2023/24 financial year found that only 41 of the country’s 257 municipalities received a clean opinion, or 16%.

Most either received an unqualified opinion (99) or a qualified opinion (90). Only six audits were adverse, with 11 receiving disclaimer opinions. There are still 10 outstanding audits.

The report found that 218 municipalities did not have the basic controls to review and monitor compliance.

“Weak controls are often due to the leadership tone set by the council, the mayor and municipal management,” it said.

To Ramaphosa’s point, of the 25 municipalities that received a clean audit for four or more consecutive years, 17 were located in the Western Cape.

All of these municipalities were controlled solely by the DA or by a DA-led coalition.

However, several ANC-controlled municipalities were featured on the list of those that had received clean audits for four or more years.

These include the Joe Gqabi, Ehlanzeni, Nkangala, Francis Baard, and Namakwa District Municipalities.

Ramaphosa praised ANC-run municipalities that have succeeded in local governance, saying that others must learn from them.

“As councils, we need to learn from others how to turn things around. Let us do cross-pollination. A strength we have is that many of our councillors are doing amazing things,” he said.

Service delivery improvement or party death

Ramaphosa told the ANC councillors that if the municipalities where it governs do not improve service delivery, the party faces an existential threat in these areas.

He encouraged the party’s members to adopt a “service delivery improvement or death” attitude in the municipalities it governs.

“If we don’t tend to the needs of the people, then we die, as in the case of Ditsobotla,” the ANC president said.

The Ditsobotla Local Municipality was recently placed under National Administration following a collapse of basic service delivery, political instability, corruption, and financial mismanagement in the district.

The municipality’s failures significantly impacted local business and investment in the area, with Ramaphosa pointing to the closure of  Clover’s flagship cheese factory in Lichtenburg.

The factory was closed in 2021, citing poor service delivery and infrastructure problems.

Several senior ANC officials have conceded that if the party does not improve its performance, it is likely to lose significant support in the 2026 Local Government Elections.

This comes after the party lost its outright majority since the beginning of the country’s democracy, dropping to just above 40%.

With the ANC typically performing worse in local government elections and service delivery across the country ailing, experts predict that the ANC are in for another shock.

Despite Ramaphosa’s party having been in power in municipalities across the country for over 30 years, he provided councillors with a service delivery 101 lecture.

“It is unacceptable that we, as councillors and leaders, can have water leaks and sewage running in the streets.”

“As of today, your marching orders are that when a water leak and sewage are running in the street, you must be the first to know and do something within 48 hours,” Ramaphosa said.

He warned that any councillor who opposes the party’s attempts to “reform service delivery” in its municipalities will be shown the door.