As the ANC continues to ponder the state of governance in ANC-run municipalities while it prepares for next year’s local government elections, the party says President Cyril Ramaphosa did not defend the work of the DA.
The ANC president’s remarks at an ANC roll call meeting earlier this month raised eyebrows when he said the DA was better than the ANC at running municipalities across the country.
DA municipalities
“It is hugely painful each time when the auditor general comes to report to the Cabinet and they put up their report, and those municipalities that do best are not ANC-controlled municipalities,” Ramaphosa said.
“And I can name it here because there is nothing wrong with competition; they are often DA-controlled municipalities. We need to ask ourselves what it is that they are doing that is better than what we are doing.
There is nothing wrong with us saying we want to go and see what Cape Town is doing, we want to go see what Stellenbosch is doing.”
Some DA leaders have already started using Ramaphosa’s comments as campaign slogans during campaigning for next year’s elections.
ALSO READ: Will Ramaphosa see out his term? ANC leaders furious with president after DA comment
No praise for DA
Speaking to ENCA on Sunday, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said Ramaphosa did not praise the DA.
“The ANC is the bigger party in this country. It must not be afraid, including its members, it must understand they must not be afraid in the competitive politics we have, to acknowledge the fact that we are not doing well in relation to the auditor general’s reports.
“In comparison to our competitors and opponents, it is really something that the president said in his statement, it doesn’t augur well and it doesn’t augur well for himself.
“And that it’s the truth, it cannot be good that we are being overtaken by our opponents on a matter like that, notwithstanding the examples the president has given also that there are good performing municipalities of the ANC,” Mbalula said.
No ‘bad dent’
Mbalula said Ramaphosa’s comments did not cause a “bad dent” to the ANC.
“It can’t cause a bad dent. We have engaged our members who are on the ground, front troopers, to basically look in a different direction and positively and see what is it we need to do to master the plan of the ANC in terms of delivery.”
Ramaphosa later admitted that he should have explained his position on the matter more comprehensively when he met with ANC councillors.
ALSO READ: Ramaphosa warns local government failure feeding narrative about ‘declining ANC’
