A speech that shook the house

When President Cyril Ramaphosa stood before thousands of ANC councillors in Johannesburg and urged them to study the successes of DA-run municipalities, it was more than just another speech. For many, it was a Rubicon moment, a rare moment of honesty that dared the ANC to confront its own failures.

Ramaphosa didn’t mince words: municipalities like Stellenbosch, Cape Town, and Midvaal are running circles around ANC-led councils when it comes to clean governance and efficient service delivery. His blunt message has left his party rattled, his critics outraged, and political analysts calling it the wake-up call the ANC has been avoiding for too long.

Experts: “This is the truth, embrace it”

Professor Lesiba Teffo, a seasoned political analyst, says Ramaphosa should be applauded, not vilified. “That was a Rubicon speech. Truth will set us free. The ANC must pause and introspect instead of attacking its president,” he said.

Teffo argues that the ANC should heed the wisdom of its own icons. Both Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela once cautioned that parties should never dismiss everything their rivals do, but rather learn from their strengths. “Ramaphosa has reminded the ANC of this very principle,” he added.

A mirror held up to the ANC

The message hit hard because it came from within. Dominic Maphaka, a political lecturer at North-West University, believes Ramaphosa was right to call his party out. “The ANC cannot correct itself if it sees nothing wrong with itself. Despite the DA not being perfect, the ANC has become the face of maladministration. This was a condemnation, yes, but also an opportunity,” Maphaka said.

For him, Ramaphosa’s statement was less about praising the DA and more about challenging the ANC to clean its own house.

Backlash within the ranks

Not everyone is ready for tough love. Some within the ANC alliance accused Ramaphosa of handing the DA free campaign material ahead of 2026. With the DA already eyeing Johannesburg and reportedly preparing to field Helen Zille as a mayoral candidate, the timing of Ramaphosa’s remarks struck some as politically reckless.

His opponents, both inside and outside the ANC, went as far as to demand his resignation, accusing him of undermining his own party by promoting the opposition.

Mandela’s warning comes full circle

But history has a way of echoing forward. Nelson Mandela once said that if the ANC ever failed the people of South Africa, citizens should treat it as they treated the apartheid-era National Party. Today, as service delivery protests rise and voters drift toward new political homes, some say Mandela’s words are being fulfilled.

Teffo believes Ramaphosa’s speech was an acknowledgment of that reality. “The uprising against the ANC by citizens is exactly what Mandela warned about. The people are speaking. The ANC must listen.”

What comes next?

For South Africans on the ground, this isn’t just about political theatre it’s about whether taps run, potholes are fixed, and communities feel safe. Ramaphosa’s challenge to his own party has cracked open an uncomfortable truth: governance, not liberation history, will decide the ANC’s future.

The question is whether the ruling party has the humility to learn from its rivals, or whether pride and factionalism will drown out the president’s call for introspection.

{Source: The Citizen}

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