News24 | Ramaphosa tells media: Hold leaders accountable as SA heads to polls

President Cyril Ramaphosa has challenged journalists to hold political candidates accountable for their service delivery records.

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• President Cyril Ramaphosa has challenged journalists to hold political candidates accountable for their service delivery records.
• Ramaphosa acknowledged that corruption and wastage plague municipalities, demanding all parties prioritise residents regardless of political affiliation.
• With 29 million registered voters, elections are a moment of reflection on democracy’s journey, the president says.
• For more political news, visit News24 Politics.

 President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africa’s media to intensify scrutiny of political candidates and their service delivery records as the country prepares for local government elections on 4 November, while acknowledging significant failures in municipal governance.

Speaking at a media engagement commemorating Black Wednesday, in his capacity as ANC president, Ramaphosa painted a complex picture of a government grappling with competing narratives – grateful pensioners and grant recipients on one hand, frustrated residents living among filth and broken infrastructure on the other.

“We do acknowledge our shortcomings, but at the same time, people do recognise that there are areas and pockets of success,” he said, describing the upcoming elections as “a moment of reflection” for voters to consider where the country has come from and where it is heading.

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The president recounted recent encounters with young children thanking him for social grants and elderly citizens expressing gratitude for pensions, contrasting these with angry parents whose children had been denied National Student Financial Aid Scheme funding and communities drowning in uncollected refuse.

Ramaphosa said:

Recently, just last week in Bloemfontein, as we were looking around, I saw the street, the main street in Bloemfontein, filled – filthy, filthy, filthy – rubbish lying all over.

Ramaphosa said he demanded immediate action from local officials.

The president extended his critique beyond ANC-controlled municipalities, calling on all political parties to prioritise service delivery regardless of partisan affiliation.

“I say this with the level of seriousness that it requires because it is possible that, yes, and in a number of areas, it can be ANC control, DA control, EFF control. I’m finding this across our country, and I’m saying all of us must join in serving the interests of our people on a non-partisan basis,” he said.

Ramaphosa identified structural challenges facing municipalities, including limited revenue bases, extensive infrastructure maintenance requirements, and large geographical service areas.

However, he warned that structural problems cannot be used as an excuse for poor performance.

He said:

The structural reform that we seek cannot become an excuse for us giving our people less than desirable service.

He added that a comprehensive review of local governance systems is under way through a white paper process.

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The president acknowledged that corruption and wastage plague municipal budgets, with equitable share allocations sometimes diverted from their intended purposes.

“Some of the weaknesses are that even as money is allocated to some of our municipalities, in some instances, it is not always properly spent,” he said.

“Some of it goes to corruption, some of it goes to wastage.”

On accountability, Ramaphosa emphasised that political parties must take responsibility for the quality of candidates they field.

“A political party that deploys people who are not equal to the responsibilities that are entrusted to them must take responsibility for the consequences,” he said, noting that the ANC has strengthened its candidate selection processes to improve competence and integrity.

The president expressed satisfaction that community members in various areas confirmed their ward candidates were chosen by residents rather than imposed by party structures.

“We expect them to do well. We know that in the end, having made commitments in our manifesto, we will be judged not by what we say, but by what happens in municipalities after the election,” he said.

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Ramaphosa challenged journalists to move beyond national political contests and focus on individual ward and municipal races, asking them to interrogate candidates’ records and proposals.

“What are they promising? Will what they promise resolve the challenges at the local government level? What is their record? How do they propose to address the problems that our residents experience daily?” he asked.

The president warned that a “growing sense among people for true stories to be reported” represents one of democracy’s greatest challenges, calling on media to fulfil their watchdog role.

With 29 million registered voters, hundreds of political parties, and more than 136 000 candidates contesting, Ramaphosa said electoral success must be measured not only by voting efficiency but by how informed, engaged, and able citizens are to make meaningful choices.

“Political leaders must never forget that the legitimacy of our authority comes from our people, and as journalists, you perform an indispensable role in ensuring that the people of our country are informed,” he said.

The president concluded by invoking the spirit of those who fought for democracy – workers, students, women, religious organisations and political movements – calling for the same active citizenship today.

“Democracy must not end when the polling station closes,” he said.

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