In a classic political firefighting mission, Deputy President Paul Mashatile has stepped in to douse the flames of a controversy ignited by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent, unexpected praise for DA-run municipalities. Mashatile told Parliament that the President’s remarks were taken out of context and were not an endorsement of the opposition just a year before local government elections.
The row began when President Ramaphosa, addressing thousands of ANC councillors, pointed to DA-governed municipalities in the Western Cape as examples that received clean audits, suggesting his party’s representatives should “take lessons.” The comments caused an uproar within ANC ranks, forcing Ramaphosa himself to later clarify his statements.
The Official Line: It Was About “Learning,” Not “Praising”
Mashatile’s explanation to MPs was a masterclass in political nuance. He argued that the President was merely encouraging a spirit of learning among councillors.
“He then went on that he has come across this information that there are a lot of municipalities in the Western Cape that have clean audits. He says go and see what they are doing as well,” Mashatile stated. He was quick to add the crucial caveat: “But what he did not say was that the Western Cape is really the panacea for good governance and service delivery and everything. He was focusing on clean audits.”
This distinction is vital for the ANC. Acknowledging a rival’s competency in financial management is one thing; endorsing their overall governance model is quite another.
The Counter-Attack: Clean Audits vs. Lived Reality
Having conceded the point on clean auditsa reference to the Auditor-General’s report showing 63% of DA-run municipalities received clean audits versus 5% for ANC-run onesMashatile launched the counter-offensive.
He argued that a clean audit does not automatically translate to good governance or an improved life for residents. The real test, he insisted, is in the townships.
“It is important to note that there is a significant and persistent disparity between the wellbeing of many residents residing in township and informal settlements of the province of the Western Cape,” Mashatile said.
He pointed to areas like Khayelitsha as evidence that the DA’s “governance model is not the best in the country,” claiming it fails to address the legacy of apartheid spatial planning and the vast disparities between largely Black townships and predominantly white urban areas.
In a theatrical flourish, Mashatile even offered to take EFF leader Julius Malema on a tour of Khayelitsha to assess its state himself, framing the DA’s success as a superficial financial achievement that masks deep-seated social inequality.
The message from the ANC’s number two is clear: the party will acknowledge the DA’s bookkeeping, but it will fiercely contest the narrative that this translates into a better life for all, setting the stage for a key battleground in the upcoming election discourse.
{Source: TimesLive}
