The National chairman, Gwede Mantashe, is supporting President Cyril Ramaphosa despite some prominent ANC leaders calling for him to be removed for his divisive remarks regarding ANC municipalities’ inferiority to DA-run municipalities.
During a roll call meeting last week in Soweto, Ramaphosa advised ANC council members to take a cue from DA-run municipalities on how they conduct clean audits. However, weekend reports indicate that some senior party leaders want Ramaphosa to resign before the next year’s elections because they feel his remarks have damaged the party’s local government campaign.
However, Mantashe stated that ANC council members need to quit pouting and concentrate on getting better during his Sunday visit to the Western Cape. Comparing an ANC council to a DA council is perfectly acceptable, and the audit’s findings are significant since they deal with financial management, which is a fundamental aspect of managing a municipality. On that, they are performing admirably.
It is our duty to identify problems with service delivery where they are significant. What matters most is how comprehensive the service is. As an ANC councillor, managing your money well is just as crucial,” he stated. According to Mantashe, the ANC is tasked with overseeing impoverished areas where they have ward council members, while the DA is in control of municipalities in places like the Western Cape.
According to him, ANC council members must put in a lot of effort to improve the lives of the people living in their wards despite these obstacles. He asserted that it was their duty to get up and fight to the DA.
Fikile Mbalula, another Ramaphosa supporter, also stood up for him during a Sunday meeting with Johannesburg council members. According to him, Ramaphosa’s divisive comments won’t have a detrimental impact on the party. “What matters to us is that people will follow the truth. We are currently very busy, attending roll calls with our representatives from the public, and so on. Let them deal with actual, tangible problems if they wish to work with the ANC,” he remarked.
Ntsikelelo Breakfast, a political expert, thinks the ANC will not do well in the next municipal elections. “The ANC will not be saved by anyone. Young folks are now the voters. Due to the ANC’s liberation credentials, they will not cast their votes. Based on service delivery, they cast their votes. You will face consequences if you violate the social compact. “It is worse at local government because there is low voter turnout, and the ANC is punished when there is low voter turnout,” he stated. Breakfast claimed that Ramaphosa’s comments created a great deal of misunderstanding.
“The president, Mantashe, and other ANC leaders made some mistakes following the roll call. “They both sounded like outsiders,” he added. Ramaphosa took back some of his remarks last week. “The DA should also learn from ANC-run municipalities,” he told the SABC.
“I need to have discussed the entire equation. The whole picture is that there are transformative and compliance difficulties. Both must work together, and I should have provided a more thorough explanation when I gave the example,” Ramaphosa stated.
Sub-Editor : Matlala Kgaugelo
