Political analyst Xolani Dube says President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent compliments on the DA local governance strategy have confirmed that the ANC can no longer govern South Africa effectively.
Ramaphosa showered the DA with praises when he told ANC councillors at the GoldRush Dome, FNB Stadium, on Monday that the DA was doing better in running municipalities and that ANC councillors should learn from them.
“Those municipalities that do best are not ANC-controlled municipalities, and I can name it here because there is nothing wrong with competition; they are often DA-controlled municipalities,” said Ramaphosa.
Dube said this was Ramaphosa’s open admission that the DA was doing better than the ANC.
He said it started with party chairperson Gwede Mantashe telling councillors that they know nothing but to sing.
“Following that, the next speaker was the president of the country and the leader of the ANC. Unapologetic, unrestrained, and angry, he repeatedly told the world and South Africans that these councillors should learn from the DA.
“He specifically mentioned Stellenbosch as one of the municipalities, emphasising the need for these ANC councillors to learn about governance and administrative work,” said Dube.
Remaining confidence eroded
He stated that Ramaphosa’s remarks had eroded any remaining confidence in the ANC, arguing that South Africans cannot vote for a party that has acknowledged its inability to govern and suggested learning from the opposition.
“So, there are two options that we are left with as South Africans, especially the South African natives: it is to vote for DA so that our municipalities can provide us with good service. That is the suggestion from the president, not from me.
“So, what option are we left [with]? We are left with one option: to remove this ANC and also remove this president, Cyril Ramaphosa.”
He accused the ANC of betraying the people who once believed in its promise, stating that native South Africans had thought the ANC would save them, but it has failed to do so.
“What he said yesterday was the final nail in the coffin. Only a fool will vote for the ANC; only an [uninformed person] will vote for it.
“South Africans, especially South African natives, don’t vote for the ANC. We must reconsider what vehicle can liberate South African natives.
“The ANC has confirmed they can’t lead us, but what they have done is hand us over to the DA,” he said.
Ramaphosa’s statements regarding a better-led Cape Town under DA municipalities were disputed by Khusela Diko, the chairperson of the portfolio committee on communications and digital technologies.
The former spokesperson for Ramaphosa, Diko, replied to a post on X that disclosed that residents of the Olympic Park informal settlement were demonstrating over the provision of services.
“Cape Town under the so-called good governance of the DA. I suspect the president was misled on this one,” wrote Diko on X.
Legitimising the opponent
Reputation 1st Group managing director Tshepo Matseba said Ramaphosa’s remarks created serious risks for the ANC’s image and credibility.
“You don’t fix service delivery by advertising your competitor; you fix it by setting measurable targets and keeping your house on message,” said Matseba.
“By praising DA-run cities by name at an ANC caucus, he turned performance benchmarking into validation of a rival.
“In political terms, it is a failure of message discipline: you legitimise your opponent’s brand, weaken your base and hand over an election slogan.”
Matseba cautioned that any organisation would perceive such behaviour as detrimental.
He said this notion also applies in a corporate world where a CEO would be accused of brand dilution if they openly promote a competitor’s model.
Instead of praising the opposition, Matseba said the ANC should rely on auditor-general reports, set clear turnaround goals for municipalities, and communicate improvements without glorifying rivals.
“If not, the party risks reputational self-harm at the very moment it needs to rebuild its standing and mobilise support,” he said.
