Deputy President Paul Mashatile has walked back President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent remarks praising the Western Cape’s municipal governance model.
Mashatile addressed this during a Parliamentary question-and-answer session on 30 October 2025.
He said the media had misquoted the President.
Ramaphosa had reportedly told African National Congress councillors that other municipalities could learn from the Western Cape’s governance model.
Mashatile, however, clarified that Ramaphosa’s intention was misrepresented.
“He said councillors should learn from other councillors,” Mashatile explained. “He was referring to well-performing municipalities that receive clean audits,” he added.
WESTERN CAPE GOVERNANCE IS NOT THE BEST, SAYS MASHATILE
Paul Mashatile said he disagrees with the notion that the Western Cape’s governance model is the best in South Africa, pointing to the inequalities that persist despite clean audits.
He also referred to the Auditor-General’s 2023/24 municipal audit outcomes, which revealed that 40% of municipalities received clean or unqualified audits.
While the figure shows slight progress from the previous year, he said it was still not enough.
NEGLECT OF POOR COMMUNITIES REMAINS A PROBLEM
Mashatile argued that the Democratic Alliance(DA)-led Western Cape governance’s success in financial audits fails to reflect the lived realities of its residents.
“The problem with the Western Cape is that it tends to neglect underserved communities in the townships and informal settlements,” he said.
He added that the province still struggles to address the legacy of apartheid-era spatial segregation.
PAUL MASHATILE CALLS FOR INCLUSIVE AND FAIR GOVERNANCE
“The optimal model we require is the one that would accommodate all individuals regardless of race or colour,” Paul Mashatile said.
To reinforce his point, he invited Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema to accompany him on a visit to Khayelitsha, one of the province’s most underserved areas.
Mashatile further said South Africa needs a governance model that reflects fairness, inclusion, and accountability.
