Ramaphosa Promises Sweeping Local Government Reforms As Water Crisis Comes Under Scrutiny

President Cyril Ramaphosa has foreshadowed “far-reaching reforms” to rebuild trust in local government and promote inclusive economic growth, as he faced questions in Parliament on Tuesday over municipal water failures, accountability and the state of basic infrastructure.

Speaking during a virtual presidential question-and-answer session, Ramaphosa said a review of the local government White Paper was nearing completion and that government was working towards a “more capable, professional and development local government system”.

The president's comments came as opposition MPs challenged him over persistent failures in water and sanitation services, including problems at municipalities governed by the African National Congress (ANC).

Ramaphosa calls for political cooperation

Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary leader George Michalakis questioned Ramaphosa over the ANC's record in municipalities, citing water losses in eThekwini and sewage spills.

“Why did you allow your party, the ANC, to govern municipalities in such a way [that] we got this in the first place?” Michalakis asked.

Ramaphosa rejected the framing of the question, saying it overlooked interventions by national government and the need for cooperation across political parties.

“The honourable member is making a long political speech on a matter that is so important, and completely ignores the measures and interventions that government is making, particularly national government,” he said.

Ramaphosa said municipalities required cooperation between different political parties and spheres of government rather than political confrontation.

“Rather than pontificate, rather than stand with a measure of piousness on pulpits and platforms, requires the involvement of all so that we can solve the problem. We find great cooperation also at local level among people who belong to other political parties… I would rather have him say: ‘How can I support you so that we address this problem together?’”

Michalakis later took up the challenge.

“How can I help you to fix the mess the ANC caused, leaving South Africans without water, because you clearly need all the help you can get?” he asked.

Ramaphosa responded that he was prepared to work with the DA MP, but expected practical proposals.

“I’m not going to be taking potshots at him and his party at the failures that they are also overseeing… I am willing and able to work with him. The question is, will he come forward with practical plans and proposals?”

Infrastructure remains central to Ramaphosa's growth message

Infrastructure was a recurring theme in Ramaphosa's responses during the parliamentary session and in an earlier address to the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium of South Africa (Sidssa) in Cape Town.

He said infrastructure was critical to economic growth, job creation and attracting private investment.

“South Africa cannot grow faster without fixing infrastructure. This is an impossibility. We have allowed infrastructure to decline for far too long. Infrastructure can unlock unprecedented growth in our country…” Ramaphosa told MPs.

In his prepared speech to the infrastructure symposium, he said reliable energy, sufficient water, functioning ports and railways, roads, digital connectivity and effective municipalities were essential to economic activity and people's daily lives.

“We know that our ability to grow the economy depends on whether we can secure reliable energy, sufficient water, efficient ports and railways, functioning roads, digital connectivity and cities and towns that work. Infrastructure affects the daily lives of South Africans.”

Ramaphosa also linked infrastructure investment to efforts to address the spatial legacy of apartheid.

Referring to developments at Riverside, which he discussed during the ANC's local government election campaign over the weekend, he said infrastructure could “change the geography that apartheid bequeathed us”.

“We saw that over the weekend at Riverside where infrastructure has been installed in the form of houses, in the form of roads… That’s when it raises the confidence of people, and it also creates opportunities for growth.”

The president also reported progress on the District Development Model (DDM), an initiative intended to improve co-ordination between national, provincial and local government.

He said all 52 districts now had plans under the model, but acknowledged that implementation remained a challenge.

“There is now measurable progress in executing the district development model, but I must say the model has not yet achieved its original ambition to make government operate as one across all 52 districts,” he said.

Ramaphosa said the next step was to ensure that planning translated into the implementation of projects.

Water accountability and Marikana raised

Water and sanitation remained a prominent issue during the question-and-answer session.

Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane questioned Ramaphosa about accountability for deaths associated with a cholera outbreak and inadequate water services in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria.

“Yes, people should be held accountable,” Ramaphosa said.

He also disputed a claim by DA MP Marina van Zyl that insufficient action was being taken to establish criminal accountability for sewage pollution.

Ramaphosa said the Department of Water and Sanitation had laid 96 charges involving 53 municipalities by June 2026. He said officials at eMalahleni and Thaba Tshweu had already pleaded guilty.

The session also brought a reference to the Marikana massacre of August 2012, when 34 striking mineworkers were killed by police at Lonmin's Marikana operation. Ramaphosa was a non-executive director of Lonmin at the time.

MK party parliamentary leader John Hlophe referred to the massacre while questioning the status of a national water action plan monitoring portal.

“The blood has dried from the 16th August massacre, but the taps are still dry,” Hlophe said.

Ramaphosa said the government system used for the relevant monitoring had been completed, but that a comprehensive public-facing system was still under development. He pointed to other existing information systems, including “a water security dashboard that covers Gauteng and eThekwini”.

The exchange came two weeks after the 14th anniversary of the Marikana killings, with victims' families continuing to seek criminal accountability.

For now, Ramaphosa's position is that local government reforms are nearing completion, while government continues to pursue infrastructure investment, stronger co-ordination between the three spheres of government and improved accountability for failures in water and sanitation services.