‘Like it or not, ANC brought change’: Ramaphosa defends 32-year record amid service delivery concerns

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the public to continue voting for the ANC given its positive track record of service delivery.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the ANC’s 32 years in government, insisting that its record of transformation and development, including in Soweto, outweighs its failures as residents continue to raise concerns about basic service delivery.

Ramaphosa made the remarks during a door-to-door engagement with residents in Ward 29, Diepkloof, on Sunday, where he sought to highlight the party’s achievements while urging South Africans to maintain their trust in the ANC.

“The transformation that we see in our country, whether people like it or not, whether they hate the ANC or not, has been brought about by the ANC,” he said.

He pointed to Soweto’s development as evidence of the party’s contribution, arguing that the township had changed significantly under ANC leadership.

“The people of Soweto, which was like a real backward and backyard city of Johannesburg, is what it is today in terms of development because of the ANC leadership and ANC delivery,” Ramaphosa said.

His defence comes amid persistent criticism of the governing party over corruption, alleged political patronage and deteriorating municipal services.

Critics have accused ANC-led administrations of allowing public funds to be wasted while failing to maintain essential infrastructure.

Water supply has become a particularly contentious issue, with residents in affected communities facing unreliable access to clean water.

Local government, which bears direct responsibility for many everyday services, has also faced mounting scrutiny over its finances and ability to deliver.

Ramaphosa acknowledged that the ANC’s record was not without shortcomings but argued that its achievements should be weighed against its failures.

“Of course, along the way, there’ll be missteps and there’ll also be areas where there's been excellence,” he said.

“When you do the balance, when you look at the balance sheet, there's more positive than negative.”

He urged residents to continue trusting the party, saying its experience and delivery demonstrated its capacity to keep making progress.