Cyril Ramaphosa complains about ANC corruption and mismanagement

President Cyril Ramaphosa said trust in democracy and governance has been squandered through years of mismanagement of waste and corruption.

During his address at the ANC NEC Lekgotla, he said focusing on corruption and service delivery are central themes for the ANC’s 2026 program.

He bemoaned mismanagement and corruption at various levels of government and state-owned enterprises.

Ramaphosa said getting rid of corruption and mismanagement at all levels of government and state-owned enterprises should be central to their campaign.

“We should wage war on crime and corruption and tackle gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster,” he said.

He claimed that the devil is in the tendering system, and called on the ANC for professional administration to be insulated from political interference.

Ramaphosa further warned that public confidence is undermined by allegations of criminal syndicates infiltrating the police.

He said the findings from the Madlanga Commission will be used to decisively tackle areas where there is rot in South Africa’s criminal justice system.

The President describes 2026 as the year of decisive action to fix local government ahead of the municipal elections.

The plan includes improving basic services, ensuring water security, and holding those who fail accountable.

To address these issues before the upcoming local government elections, Ramaphosa insists that ANC candidates must have the highest integrity.

These candidates must complete mandatory ethics courses as they move away from deploying people on a factional basis.

The ANC NEC was engaged in discussions on strengthening organisational coherence and sharpening the implementation of the ANC’s priorities for the year.

These discussions focused on stabilising local government, restoring service delivery, and driving economic transformation and job creation.