ANC Accused of Hypocrisy Over Private Sector Municipal Partnerships by DA's Sarupen
- ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula labelled the DA's 2026 local government manifesto as 'Thatcherite' privatisation on social media
- DA federal council chairperson Ashor Sarupen pointed to ANC-governed municipalities already using private sector partnerships
- The DA launched its local government manifesto at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Johannesburg, proposing private operator partnerships for municipalities lacking capacity
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SOUTH AFRICA — The Democratic Alliance (DA) has accused the African National Congress of hypocrisy after ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula posted on X that the DA's 2026 local government election manifesto amounted to privatisation — despite the ANC itself relying on private sector arrangements in municipalities it governs.
According to Inside Politics, Mbalula's post took aim at the DA's proposal to allow municipalities to bring in private operators where local councils lack the capacity to independently deliver basic services, branding the approach as a throwback to 1980s Thatcherite economics. DA federal council chairperson Ashor Sarupen pushed back firmly against the characterisation.
He argued that the ANC resorted to ideological labels precisely because it could not account for its record in local government. Sarupen said South Africans were far more concerned with whether their bins got collected and whether water ran from their taps than with debates over economic ideology and ownership models.
Sarupen defends DA's municipal approach
Sarupen also pointed directly to the contradiction at the heart of Mbalula's criticism: ANC-governed municipalities such as Mafube and KwaDukuza already operate through private sector partnerships to deliver services to residents. The DA unveiled its manifesto at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Johannesburg. Under its proposals, municipalities that partner with private operators would retain full authority over policy, tariffs, and service standards. Sarupen described this model as practical governance, insisting it prioritised value for residents rather than conforming to any particular ideological position.
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GNU partners to compete at the ballot box
The 2026 local government elections carry particular significance as the first municipal polls in which parties forming part of the Government of National Unity will openly contest votes against one another while continuing to co-govern at the national level. The ANC lost its outright parliamentary majority in the May 2024 general elections, leading it to enter the GNU alongside the DA and other parties. The ANC is scheduled to launch its own municipal election manifesto in Diepsloot on 23 August, where it will set out its own vision for local governance ahead of the polls.
Helen Zille weighs in on Mbalula and NDZ clash
In a related article, Briefly News reported on the ongoing verbal confrontation between senior ANC leaders Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Fikile Mbalula regarding serious allegations of vote-buying, as well as Helen Zille’s pointed remarks on the matter. The exchange has drawn significant attention, with accusations that money politics have infiltrated the ANC, raising questions about the integrity of the party’s internal elections and its future.
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Source: Briefly News
