Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s visit to Mangaung for a high-profile cleaning campaign has sparked fierce backlash from the Democratic Alliance (DA), which has labelled the trip a “desperate PR stunt” intended to divert public attention from the deputy president’s deepening ethics scandals.
The cleaning campaign, held under the theme “Bontle Ke Botho: A Free State That Works for All”, is part of the national Clean Cities and Towns Campaign, launched in Kliptown in June. While the government claims the campaign is about promoting cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable environments, the DA says it is nothing more than political window dressing.
In a strongly worded statement issued Tuesday, DA Free State leader Roy Jankielsohn tore into Mashatile’s timing and motives, calling his presence in the province “insulting” to communities already devastated by ANC governance failures.
“This is the same Deputy President who was last week found guilty by Parliament’s Joint Ethics Committee for failing to declare a diamond gifted to his wife by alleged fraudster Louis Liebenberg,” said Jankielsohn. “He also failed to disclose a R28.9 million mansion in Constantia for more than two years.”
“His personal record of secrecy, ethical breaches, and unanswered questions disqualifies him from pretending to be a champion of clean governance,” he added.
Mashatile’s arrival in Mangaung comes amid a sea of scandals in the Free State. The province has consistently ranked among the worst-performing in terms of service delivery, with collapsing municipalities, raw sewage spills, failing water systems, and widespread corruption.
In 2024, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) declared the state of basic services in Free State towns a “human rights crisis”, citing deteriorating waste management, unsafe drinking water, and environmental degradation in towns such as Welkom, QwaQwa, and Botshabelo.
“The Free State has been gutted by ANC cadres whose greed, corruption, and incompetence have collapsed service delivery,” said Jankielsohn. “It does not need another cadre flying in to inspect the devastation they helped create — without consequence, without solutions, and without shame.”
Statistics paint a grim picture. According to recent government data: The Free State has the lowest life expectancy in South Africa: 57.3 years for men and 64.2 years for women. Over 62% of residents live in poverty, far above the national average, and Mangaung Metro, a key focus of the current campaign, is under administration and continues to suffer from waste removal backlogs, infrastructure decay, and governance dysfunction.
Mashatile’s visit also comes just days after Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests found him guilty of failing to declare a valuable diamond gift and concealing property ownership — raising fresh concerns about his transparency and fitness to hold office.
While the ANC has defended Mashatile, opposition parties and civil society organisations have accused the ruling party of shielding its senior leaders from accountability.
“The Clean Cities and Towns Campaign would be laughable if it weren’t so insulting,” said Jankielsohn. “It’s hypocrisy of the highest order for someone facing ethics violations to lead a campaign for cleanliness and good governance.”
Despite the criticism, the Presidency insists that the campaign is part of the government’s broader District Development Model (DDM), aimed at fostering sustainable development through partnerships between communities, local municipalities, and the private sector.
Mashatile, accompanied by senior government officials including Minister Parks Tau, Deputy Ministers Pinky Kekana and Bernice Swarts, and Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, is expected to oversee a range of activities — from waste collection and tree planting to infrastructure repairs and community engagement.
“This campaign mobilises communities to take pride in their spaces, while showcasing accelerated service delivery,” said Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to the Deputy President. “It’s about climate action, social cohesion, and decent work.”
However, critics argue the campaign is election-year posturing — using public resources to shore up the ANC’s battered image in key provinces.
Jankielsohn also reminded the public of Mashatile’s previous visit to the Free State following the Jagersfontein mine tailings dam disaster in 2022. Then, Mashatile promised urgent relief and long-term infrastructure investment for affected communities — most of which, the DA claims, have not materialised.
“His ‘interventions’ amounted to nothing more than electioneering lip service,” said Jankielsohn. “The people of the Free State are still waiting for justice, clean water, safe housing, and proper services.”
As South Africa heads toward the 2026 municipal elections, opposition parties believe public sentiment is shifting — especially in provinces like the Free State, where ANC support has steadily declined.
The DA says voters are tired of “cadre deployment dressed up as governance” and that real accountability will only come through the ballot box.
“The people of the Free State do not need a Deputy President embroiled in corruption allegations using them as a backdrop for personal PR,” Jankielsohn concluded. “They need honest, accountable leadership — and that will never come from a party that has normalised corruption.”
