Deputy President Paul Mashatile has come to the defence of President Cyril Ramaphosa following a political storm over remarks praising municipalities run by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA).
Ramaphosa’s comments, made in September during an ANC councillors’ gathering, acknowledged that some DA-controlled municipalities outperformed ANC-led municipalities, particularly in achieving clean audits. “There’s nothing wrong with us saying we want to go and see what Cape Town is doing, what is Stellenbosch doing,” the President said, citing Auditor-General data highlighting disparities in municipal performance.
The remarks sparked a backlash within the ANC and its alliance partners, with some critics accusing Ramaphosa of publicly endorsing a political rival.
Speaking in the National Assembly yesterday, Mashatile clarified that Ramaphosa had been “quoted out of context.” He argued that while DA municipalities may have performed better financially, clean audits did not automatically equate to good governance. Mashatile cited ongoing socio-economic challenges in Western Cape townships such as Khayelitsha as evidence that the DA model still failed communities.
Analysts note that Ramaphosa’s original comments, could become a campaign advantage for the DA.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
