ANCYL President criticises Ramaphosa's praise of DA-led municipalities

ANC Youth League (ANCYL) President Collen Malatji has weighed in on ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent remarks praising Democratic Alliance (DA)-run municipalities, arguing that the DA is “not performing anywhere.”

Malatji made these comments during a media briefing on Friday.

“On the issue of the DA comparison by the president - look, the reality is that the DA is not performing anywhere,” he said.

“The City of Tshwane, where the DA was in charge, collapsed under its leadership. It is only now, through a partnership of the ANC and other parties, that there’s an effort to revive it,” Malatji said.

The DA previously led the City of Tshwane. The metro is now governed by a coalition involving ActionSA, the ANC, and the EFF.

“You go to Cape Town, and there's only service in one part of the city. When you land there, you can't even go into the townships because there's no service. The DA's policies are racially biased - they are clear about who they prioritise,” Malatji claimed.

He accused the DA of ignoring the majority of South Africans.

“It would be ignorant to compare the ANC and the DA fully, because ANC municipalities are mainly in poor rural areas - an apartheid-era design.”

Malatji added that many ANC-led municipalities face severe financial challenges, with residents often unable to pay rates or taxes and relying on social grants.

However, he partially defended Ramaphosa’s comments, suggesting they could be interpreted as motivational.

“There’s nothing wrong with what the president did - putting pressure on our councillors. You can’t be beaten by a right-wing, racist DA. There can’t be ANC municipalities performing worse than those run by the DA. That pressure is good.”

“Perhaps the media took his remarks out of context. But I believe the president was pushing for improvement - and those ANC municipalities performing well must be applauded,” he said.

Malatji also pointed to what he described as improvements in metros where the ANC has regained control.

“In the City of Ekurhuleni, there were serious challenges when the DA governed. Now that we’ve taken over, there’s visible progress. Everywhere we take over, we fix things,” he said.

He claimed that the City of Johannesburg, despite its challenges, was also improving under new ANC leadership.

“The mayor (Dada Morero) has said it himself - Johannesburg needs billions for infrastructure development. This is supposed to be a world-class city. It can’t continue like this.”

“When I was COSAS leader, I used to walk from Sisulu House to Bree Street to catch a taxi - and I felt safe. Today, you can’t even do that.”

Malatji also raised concerns about environmental issues and water shortages.

“You can’t have water tankers all over Johannesburg and call that normal. Water infrastructure must be fast-tracked. Renewable water projects need urgent funding.”

His comments follow recent protests by residents of Coronationville and Westbury over a water crisis that has persisted for more than seven years.

“There must be no place in South Africa where people share water sources with animals. That’s unacceptable and must be fixed urgently,” he said.

Malatji’s remarks follow controversy over Ramaphosa’s comments at the ANC’s recent roll call over the weekend, where he praised DA-controlled municipalities for receiving clean audits.

However, in an interview with the SABC, Ramaphosa clarified that he was referencing Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke’s reports, which highlighted strong financial management in municipalities in the Western Cape.

“When I spoke about what we need to do, I referred to her reports, which she issues annually,” Ramaphosa said. 

“She found clean audits in some municipalities - and those include some DA-run areas.”

However, he was quick to note that clean audits do not equate to good governance or service delivery.

“Clean audits are about compliance. They don’t mean clean streets or effective transformation,” Ramaphosa said. 

“There are ANC-run municipalities with clean audits, too. But we must look at this comprehensively.”

He also took aim at the DA. “From a transformative point of view, they are not meeting the mark. People in places like Philippi, Delft, Kayamandi and Langa will tell you - clean audits haven’t transformed their lives.”

Political analysts previously said Ramaphosa’s remarks reflect long-standing truths about governance in South Africa.

“It’s a reflection of a truth he’s long held but couldn’t express openly due to internal ANC pressures - that the party often deploys people to positions who are motivated by self-interest, not public service,” independent political analyst Goodenough Mashego said.

“It’s an admission of failure - one that highlights years of corruption, incompetence and neglect in ANC-led municipalities. This is especially significant with the 2026 local elections looming,” Solly Rashilo added.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

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