‘Stop comparing us to DA’ — Cosatu blasts Ramaphosa

South Africa

Cape Town – The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), an alliance partner of the African National Congress (ANC), has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s remarks praising Democratic Alliance (DA)-governed municipalities in the Western Cape, describing them as “unfortunate” and potentially divisive.

Ramaphosa recently said that some of the country’s best-run municipalities were under DA control, singling out Cape Town and Stellenbosch as examples.

He encouraged ANC councillors to learn from these municipalities

“I can name it here because there’s nothing wrong with competition. They are often DA-controlled municipalities.

“We need to ask ourselves, what is it that they are doing that is better than what we are doing?,” Ramaphosa said.

“And there’s nothing wrong with us saying we want to go and see what Cape Town is doing. We want to go and see what Stellenbosch is doing.”

He continued: “We cannot forever stay at the bottom.”

“It hurts me deeply when I continue to see that our municipalities sometimes tend to move even backwards. And you are the people who can improve that. The audit outcomes are important.”

Cosatu first deputy president Mike Shingange told Newzroom Afrika that comparing DA-run municipalities with ANC-run ones is unfair.

“The DA, unlike the ANC, is servicing the minority population of this country. Its mandate is not to improve and develop Khayelitsha and all the municipalities surrounding the City of Cape Town. It’s unfair to compare Tzaneen municipality or Soweto with DA-run municipalities,” he said.

Cosatu also called for ANC councillors to be held accountable for poor service delivery and financial management in municipalities under their control.

“Because the majority of councils are led by the ANC, so too are the majority of dysfunctional municipalities. The ANC is correct to hold its councillors accountable and demand they pull up their socks and turn things around,” the federation said.

It cited reports from the Auditor-General, National Treasury, and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs showing non-payment of municipal workers, collapsing services, and corruption in several municipalities.

According to The Citizen, the South African Communist Party (SACP) echoed concerns about Ramaphosa’s comments, describing the wholesale praise of the DA as “problematic” while cautioning against assuming all ANC councillors are failing.

“The record of the DA in governance must be viewed with a more discerning eye, just as the record of the ANC deserves criticism,” SACP spokesperson Mbulelo Mandlana said.

He attributed the municipal crisis to corruption and a weakened state, affecting service delivery.

Article written by