DA ready to share municipal governance lessons with ANC
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has signaled its willingness to advise African National Congress (ANC) councillors on municipal governance, following pointed remarks from President Cyril Ramaphosa about his party’s performance.
Speaking at a service delivery roll-call for over 4,000 ANC councillors at FNB Stadium on Monday, Ramaphosa admitted it “pained” him that DA-led municipalities often outperform ANC-run ones in audits and service delivery. He urged his party to study successful municipalities like Cape Town and Stellenbosch as models for improvement.
ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe also called for introspection, noting that while ANC councillors excel in political mobilization, they often fall short in management. Auditor-General reports indicate only a handful of South Africa’s 257 municipalities achieve clean audits, with ANC-led councils disproportionately affected.
DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp welcomed the overture, pointing to Gauteng’s Midvaal municipality, which has achieved 11 consecutive clean audits, compared to neighboring ANC-run Emfuleni, plagued by debt and service delivery failures. “The difference is night and day. We’re open to working with the ANC to improve municipal performance,” Aucamp said.
Political analyst Dr Sipho Malada described Ramaphosa’s acknowledgment of DA models as “necessary,” noting years of municipal collapse under ANC oversight.
As South Africa heads toward local elections, this unusual dialogue may indicate a willingness to cooperate or merely political posturing in the battle for voter confidence.