Cyril Ramaphosa Disappointed With Poor State of Johannesburg, SA Asks Why He’s Only Noticed It Now
- President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed disappointment in the poor state of Johannesburg
- The president made the comments while conducting a two-day oversight visit to Gauteng
- South Africans questioned why it took so long for the president to realise how bad the city was
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent ten years working for a local newspaper before transitioning to online journalism
President Cyril Ramaphosa is finally seeing what Johannesburg residents have known all along; that the city is in poor condition.
That’s the consensus of many residents following the president’s admission that the “environment was not very pleasing.” Ramaphosa made the statement during a two-day visit oversight visit to Gauteng.
Ramaphosa calls on Premier to improve service delivery
During the second day of his visit to the province on 6 March 2025, Ramaphosa called on Premier Panyaza Lesufi to prove that the province was a worthy host for future G20 meetings.
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"Premier, it is your opportunity for Gauteng to gear up and to demonstrate that we did not make a mistake by choosing Gauteng to be the host. Let's show that we were correct in identifying Gauteng and, particularly, Johannesburg to be the host of the G20," he said.
Focusing specifically on Johannesburg, the president expressed his disappointment with the state of the city during his last visit for the G20 meetings.
“The environment that one observed was not a pleasing environment. I say this so that we can improve immensely,” Ramaphosa stated.
He urged the province to do better when the next meetings are held in the city later in 2025.
Johannesburg undergoes clean-up for G20 meetings
Ramaphosa’s comments follow Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero’s comments that the city’s clean-up campaign prioritised G20 routes.
He stated that they prioritised G20 routes to ensure they were at the standard at which they should be. He stated that this would mean no more potholes and all traffic lights would be fixed. The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) was recently tasked with repairing traffic lights in the city.
His comments drew criticism from many who stated that the whole city should be prioritised and not just some areas.
Journalist and editor Ferial Haffajee recently shared videos and photos of workers cleaning up the city ahead of the G20 meetings, with work being done even on the day international delegates arrive.
South Africans amazed by Ramaphosa’s response
The president’s declaration left many amazed, as they questioned why he didn’t know this all along.
@dramadelinquent asked:
“😂where has he been all these years?”
@lukevanin questioned:
“The ANC has been running Johannesburg for 30 years. Is he blaming himself for his own mess?”
@Calidonny said:
“Kante, where has Cyril Ramaphosa been over the last few years? Does he not go to Lethuli House every Monday? Konje that side of Nasrec is okay ne? He did not see anything when he attended the elective conferences?”
@DDT_PM stated:
“Was he living in America? Because I thought his house was in the City of Johannesburg, aka Sandton unless another Cyril is living there?”
@thokozanima2 added:
“Cyril Ramaphosa is not in touch with what is happening in his own country.”
@simphiwemothop5 said:
“That president is always in shock. I guess he stays in Dubai.”
@MarietjieSteen2 stated:
“Cyril Ramaphosa lives under a rock.”
@CastleLarger exclaimed:
“Cyril Ramaphosa you can’t be an out-of-touch president like this. This is disgusting.”
@Sbudamoore said:
“He wasn’t surprised as usual? Kanti, where is this guy from? He isn’t a South African? Because he is so out of touch with the reality of this country.”
DA wants to oust Lesufi
In a related, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng also took issue with the way Panyaza Lesufi ran the province.
Briefly News reported that the DA stated that it was building towards ousting Lesufi as premier of the province.
South Africans were split over the party's plans, with some saying the DA won't get the support it needs to remove Lesufi.
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Source: Briefly News
