Gauteng ANC Blames Media for Public Distrust, SA Laughs As Party Says Leaders Portrayed Negatively

• The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng believes that the media is partly to blame for the public's distrust of the party
• Hope Papo claimed that the media portrayed the leaders of the ANC as suspicious individuals in a generalised way
• South Africans joked that the media only reported what everyone else saw, saying the ANC had tarnished its own image

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG – The African National Congress in the province believes that the media is partially to blame for people losing faith in the organisation in Gauteng.

The ANC in the province secured 34.55% of the vote in the 2024 National Elections, but managed to retain control of Gauteng due to a coalition. The poor performance in the province led to the party's leadership structures being changed.

The party has claimed that the reason for the decline in public trust is partially because the media portrays it in a bad light. Previously, the party stated that it did everything in its power in the province to prevent an electoral decline.

ANC accuses media of deliberately damaging party’s reputation

During a media briefing on Thursday, 15 May 2025, coordinator Hope Papo called for the party to defend itself. He said that the way the ANC leaders were portrayed in the media was often done deliberately to damage the party’s reputation.

“The media continues to portray ANC leaders as suspicious individuals in a generalised way, and this has created an attitude of public distrust towards the ANC, particularly in metros and some of the affluent sections of society.

“Much of the narrative surrounding the ANC has sought to portray the image of the organisation as being synonymous with mismanagement, maladministration and lack of service delivery,” he said.

Papo said that this needed to come to an end, saying that the party was forced to be more responsive and defensive in dealing with public relations, instead of being proactive and engaging.

South Africans are amused by Papo’s comments

South Africans found Papo’s comments hilarious, saying that the ANC was blaming everything else instead of itself.

Richard Peebles said:

“They damaged their own reputation by putting party before state. No further explanation required from them.”

Roy Webb added:

“The media portrays the ANC in the way it conducts itself. For example, bodyguards that can assault members of the public with no retribution.”

Cameron Watt-Watermeyer stated:

“Imagine being so arrogant 🤣.”

Ruan Muller noted:

“They don't need any media coverage for people to see anything. One just has to look at the current state of the country and the filth we have to call home.”

Chris Greenwood said:

“The delusion of these ANC party leaders is incredible. Blame everyone except themselves. Next, it will be the Wicked Witch of the West from the land of Oz.”

Samantha Reid asked:

“Okay, so it has nothing to do with poor service delivery and corruption. Gotcha. The media is obviously lying about the electricity cuts, water issues and general state of decline in the country. Even though citizens can see with their own eyes, the media is lying🙄.”

Tshilidzi Mudau Sivhidzho added:

“The ANC damaged itself. I think they have ample time to fix their image, but it is flop after flop.”

Modifa Wa Hlabirwa said:

“Nobody tarnished the ANC more than the ANC. Everything they touch turns into ashes.

Sandile Memela stated:

“These guys really believe their lies. What a joke.”

Gauteng ANC to prioritise service delivery

In a related article, Panyaza Lesufi promised that the ANC would focus on service delivery in Gauteng.

Briefly News reported that the Premier stated that the party wanted to reclaim the majority vote in the province.

South Africans found the statement amusing and mocked Lesufi, saying that the ANC didn’t know what service delivery was.

Source: Briefly News