ANC leaders say Ramaphosa's DA remarks were 'taken out of context'

Some senior members of the African National Congress (ANC) said the comments made by the party’s president, praising the Democratic Alliance (DA), have been taken out of context.

On Monday, addressing ANC councillors from across the country, Ramaphosa said it pained him to admit that some of the best-run municipalities are controlled by the DA.

On Sunday, the ANC is giving a report back to its councillors along with a service delivery action plan.

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In Johannesburg, ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said Ramaphosa’s comments were in reference to audit outcomes only.

“But clean audits do not lead to service delivery most of the time, and that’s the case. Our opponents and detractors – both within and outside – took an issue with Ramaphosa. Brouhaha that was raised that the president praises the da, yada yada yada yada – there is no praise of the da. The DA is not doing well in the Western Cape in terms of service delivery, we know, even when they do have clean audits and all that.”

In the Western Cape, ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe is also leading the party’s report back session to its elected councillors.

Mantashe said the DA’s good service delivery record is a myth.

“We must the deal with the myth of a da-way of governing. It’s a myth. What we should unpack and breakdown into simple understandable pieces – it’s the fact that, yes, the DA is doing well in white suburbs (and) it is neglecting townships. Therefore, our councillors who are happening to be in townships, they have a responsibility to pick up their socks and take their fight to the DA, which controls the council.”