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Ramaphosa backtracks after clean audits comment sparks DA celebration
A compliment that spiralled
President Cyril Ramaphosa found himself backtracking this week after remarks that seemed to praise Democratic Alliance-run municipalities for their clean audits. Speaking at first in reference to Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke’s annual reports, the president pointed to strong financial management in the Western Cape. The DA quickly jumped on his words, plastering “The DA gets things done” across social media and sharing an AI-edited image of Ramaphosa reading over Helen Zille’s shoulder.
What started as a technical comment on compliance reports quickly morphed into political theatre. Ramaphosa now insists that his words were never meant as a blanket endorsement of the DA.
The fine print of a clean audit
In an interview with the SABC, Ramaphosa clarified his position. Clean audits, he argued, simply mean financial statements are well kept and regulations followed. They do not automatically translate into visible improvements in people’s lives.
He pointed out that several ANC municipalities have also achieved clean audits. Yet, residents in places such as Philippi, Delft, Kayamandi, and Langa will tell you that balanced books have not brought safer streets, working infrastructure, or transformed communities. “Clean audits do not mean clean streets,” he stressed.
Opposition seizes the moment
The DA, under John Steenhuisen, framed Ramaphosa’s initial statement as proof that even the president acknowledges their governance credentials. For a party that has long campaigned on the slogan of efficiency and delivery, it was a political gift.
But the ANC leader was quick to punch back, saying that compliance is not the same as transformation. In his view, true governance must be judged by the daily realities of citizens, not only by audit reports.
Helen Zille (@helenzille) September 16, 2025
Critics from all sides
Ramaphosa’s clarification has not quietened criticism. The EFF Youth Command’s Sihle Lonzi accused the president of ignoring the townships and Cape Flats, saying his visits to Cape Town begin and end in wealthier areas, far removed from where violence and poverty are most acute.
Controversial podcaster Penuel Mlotshwa went even further, arguing that Ramaphosa is presiding over a managed decline of the ANC. In his telling, the president is paving the way for the DA and business elites to tighten their grip on the country. Such claims, while conspiratorial, reflect how mistrust in political leadership continues to dominate South Africa’s public discourse.
Why it matters
This row over audits reveals a deeper truth: good governance is not only about neat accounting. Communities measure government by working taps, safer streets, functioning clinics, and schools that deliver. The president’s slip has reignited old tensions about whether the ANC still connects with ordinary South Africans and has handed the opposition a rare opportunity to appear validated at the highest level.
For now, Ramaphosa is left balancing his words carefully, caught between technical truths and political perception in a country hungry for real delivery.
Also read: ANC policies have crushed South Africa’s economy, says Stanlib economist
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: Polity.org
