Analysts: Ramaphosa's praise of DA highlights ANC's municipal failures ahead of 2026 elections

Political analysts have weighed in on ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa’s admission that DA-run municipalities often deliver better services than those led by the ANC, revealing a truth he‘s long wanted to express.

Several analysts were also of the view that Ramaphosa lacked confidence in his party’s ability to govern effectively at the local level.

This comes after Ramaphosa admitted it pains him that DA-led municipalities often outperform ANC ones in service delivery, urging his party’s councillors to step up.

Speaking at the ANC’s councillor roll call event at FNB Stadium in Soweto on Monday, Ramaphosa encouraged members to learn from better-performing municipalities, specifically naming DA-run cities.

“I can name it here because there's nothing wrong with competition,” he said. 

“We need to ask ourselves what they are doing better than us. There’s nothing wrong with going to see what Cape Town or Stellenbosch is doing.”

He expressed frustration at ANC municipalities falling behind, saying, “It hurts me deeply when I see our municipalities sometimes going backwards. We cannot forever stay at the bottom.”

Ramaphosa said the Auditor-General had informed him that many ANC-led councils don’t even prepare their own financial statements, relying on external help. 

He urged the ANC to deploy qualified people, particularly those with accounting and financial skills.

“Our country is not short of people who understand numbers. Let’s go and find them,” he said.

Speaking to IOL News, independent political analyst Goodenough Mashego said Ramaphosa’s remarks reflect the truth he has always wanted to say, but may have held back due to internal party pressure.

“I think what Cyril Ramaphosa said at the roll call meeting is a reflection of the truth that he has always wanted to say, maybe but couldn't do it because of pressure within the ANC for it to project an image of a party that is out there to help people - even when they know sometimes that the people they deploy to those positions come there with selfish intentions,” he said.

Mashego added that while the DA is not perfect, he argued that it delivers where it chooses to.

“But the problem with the ANC is that the ANC cannot even deliver where it is supposed to - among black communities, where it's supposed to brand itself,” he said.

“So I think Cyril Ramaphosa is basically saying, look, you are black people, you come here, you are black people, you've been given responsibility in wards where there are black people, you need to be able to do as the DA is doing.”

“But the DA does it best where it wants to do it, but ANC councillors don’t do it even where they’re supposed to. So I think that is basically what he was saying,” Mashego added.

Asked whether Ramaphosa’s remarks are de-campaigning the ANC ahead of the 2026 local government elections, Mashego did not hold back.

“I think service delivery protests, corruption, reports of corruption - that is de-campaigning.

“The Auditor-General brings out statements and reports, and you find that the worst-performing municipalities are those led by the ANC.”

He argued that Ramaphosa is merely a figurehead atop a party already undermining itself.

“Well, it does, yes, strengthen the DA's credibility among many people going into the election. But I don't know if the DA will be able to build on this because the DA has got a way of misappropriating capital - political capital - when it has it.”

He added that Ramaphosa’s remarks are likely to boost DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille, who has said she wants to run as the DA’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg in the 2026 local elections.

“But if they're able to do it in a way that is not patronising, that doesn't make them sound like they're saying black people can't govern, I think they can be able to do it. It boosts Helen Zille’s attempt to become mayor of Joburg.”

Mashego added, “I think she is likely to become mayor of Joburg, especially on the back of this, but also on the back of her leadership when it came to the City of Cape Town at the time when she was there.”

IOL News reached out to ANC councillors in Gauteng. While some expressed disappointment, others declined to comment.

“Eish… no response,” said Ward 100 (Cosmo City) councillor Lyborn Ndou in Johannesburg, adding a disappointed emoji.

Ward 114 (Zandspruit informal settlement) councillor David Mangena said, “I went there just to get marching orders, not to debate the marching orders.”

The DA welcomed Ramaphosa’s remarks as an endorsement of the party’s record.

“Everything that the DA does is aimed at improving the lives of all the people of South Africa. Where we govern, that means that a DA government performs at the highest levels, delivers services, spends public money on the public, and eliminates corruption,” said DA national spokesperson Willie Aucamp.

He claimed that the DA’s record has long been recognised by its voters, and now by the ANC president.

“Now more and more previous ANC and other voters are also seeing this and starting to support the DA,” said Aucamp.

Another political analyst, Solly Rashilo, said Ramaphosa’s praise of DA-run municipalities signals a complete lack of confidence in the ANC’s own governance.

“It’s an admission of failure, highlighting years of corruption, incompetence, and neglect in ANC-led municipalities, especially critical ahead of the 2026 local elections,” he said.

Rashilo argued that Ramaphosa’s statement may backfire.

“It hands the DA a powerful campaign tool, portraying the ANC as incompetent and desperate, likely costing them votes.”

He said Ramaphosa’s comments are not a genuine reform initiative, but a strategy to manage pressure without addressing root issues like cadre deployment or systemic corruption.

“Lacking concrete action or a history of follow-through, it’s seen as empty rhetoric to deflect criticism,” Rashilo added.

Meanwhile, ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe told party councillors that they lacked the capacity to govern.

“I know we have a lot of singing councillors but we have no councils. You all sing well, but capacity dololo (nothing),” he told a rowdy crowd.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL Politics