Mamelodi residents say Ramaphosa was steered from worst conditions
Residents near Kingsley Hostel in Tshwane say ANC colleagues guided Cyril Ramaphosa away from the worst sanitation during a campaign visit on Monday. They told of three weeks without electricity, and Ramaphosa blamed illegal connections.
ANC president Ramaphosa visited Mamelodi on Monday, ahead of the local government elections on 4 November. Residents said Gauteng ANC colleagues prevented them from showing him where they live. They also said the conditions pose a serious health risk, especially for small children.
Residents said they had been without electricity for three weeks and also complained about water. An unemployed mother said she pays R1 200 a month in rent for a three-room unit.
Ramaphosa spoke at a media doorstop in Mamelodi. He said the electricity crisis comes from illegal connections. He said the province and the municipality will install more transformers and move them away from illegal connectors.
On water, Ramaphosa said government has set up an interministerial committee and has budgeted for El Niño. He said he is certain the ANC will win the elections, despite polls showing opposition parties doing better.
Key facts
- Who
- Cyril Ramaphosa (ANC president); Kobus Sello
- What
- During a campaign visit to Mamelodi, residents said Ramaphosa was shown away from the appalling sanitation and living conditions around Kingsley Hostel. Residents complained of weeks without electricity or water, and Ramaphosa attributed the electricity problem to illegal connections and said water was a national challenge worsened by El Niño.
- When
- 26 October 2026
- Where
- Mamelodi, Tshwane, Kingsley Hostel
- Status
- Reported