African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent remarks at the FNB Stadium in Soweto have drawn strong reactions from opposition parties.
Addressing more than 40,000 councillors, Ramaphosa acknowledged that municipalities governed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) often perform better.
Since then, both the DA and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have seized on his comments to advance their agendas.
ANC CAN LEARN FROM DA
Ramaphosa urged ANC councillors to learn from the DA’s governance model. He also suggested that his party could learn from the opposition.
“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. We need to ask ourselves what it is that they are doing that is better than what we are doing,” he said.
🚨”Those municipalities that do best are not ANC-controlled municipalities… they are often DA-controlled municipalities.” – Cyril Ramaphosa, ANC President
The DA gets things done! 🇿🇦#DAdelivers pic.twitter.com/4NnvqgJB1J
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) September 15, 2025
DA WELCOMES REMARKS
The DA welcomed Ramaphosa’s remarks as an endorsement, claiming they underscored the party’s reputation for effective governance. On X, the DA in the Western Cape posted:
“When the President admits the DA is #1 in clean governance, you know it’s real. Let the ANC councillors come, Mr President, we’ll show them how it’s done.”
EFF SLAMS RAMAPHOSA
However, EFF Member of Parliament (MP) Sinawo Thambo condemned Ramaphosa for “stripping” the ANC in the Western Cape of its campaign platform and accused him of misrepresenting the province.
“Apparently, the DA can teach the ANC about service delivery; they must meet the DA in Cape Town and learn lessons. Cry the people of Mitchell’s Plain, Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Delft, Makhaza who live lives of violence and indignity under the DA,” Thambo wrote.
He further suggested that Ramaphosa “threw the ANC under the bus” in order to safeguard his personal legacy.
“When his term comes to an end, be it ceremoniously or otherwise, he will be remembered as having been honest and frank, while leaving the ANC low on morale and publicly embarrassed. He emerges as the man of integrity, while the party is left with irreparable reputational damage, with him as the confirmatory source,” said Thambo.
