Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina is facing mounting calls to be sanctioned by President Cyril Ramaphosa after she hurled a vulgar insult at a member of the public during a heated community meeting in the Eastern Cape – before issuing what critics have branded a begrudging, half-hearted apology.
The incident happened on Tuesday, 9 September, while Majodina was attending a community meeting in the Kouga Local Municipality, a region battered by water shortages and service delivery failures that fall directly under her portfolio.
Instead of addressing residents’ concerns, the ANC minister got into a war of words with a community member who challenged her – and responded with the Afrikaans expletive “Jou ma se p…”
The outburst was captured by attendees and quickly spread, triggering outrage across political lines.
DA Parliamentary Leader George Michalakis said the Minister’s conduct was disgraceful and completely unacceptable for a Cabinet Minister.
“This shows what the ANC thinks about South Africans,” Michalakis said.
“A Cabinet Minister cannot be allowed to respond to members of the public with vulgar insults simply because they are challenged or disagree with her. Ministers are entrusted with serving South Africans and must conduct themselves with dignity, respect and accountability.”
According to sources present at the meeting, residents had been raising frustrations about water cuts and sanitation when Majodina became agitated. Rather than de-escalating, she lashed out with the insult.
Hours after the video began circulating, Majodina issued an apology – but it has only deepened the crisis.
In a brief statement, the Minister said she regretted the “warmth” of the moment and apologised for the language she used, claiming she had been provoked.
Insiders described the apology as begrudging and defensive, with no real acknowledgement of the power imbalance between a Cabinet Minister and a citizen seeking services.
The DA says an apology is not enough.
The party confirmed on Wednesday, 10 September, that it is lodging a formal ethics complaint with Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests, calling for Majodina’s conduct to be fully investigated and for appropriate sanctions to be imposed by Parliament.
“This behaviour brings the ANC, Parliament and government into disrepute and undermines public confidence in her,” Michalakis said.
“Minister Majodina must be held accountable, and she must be sanctioned by the President.”
The call now falls directly on President Ramaphosa, who has repeatedly said his Cabinet must adhere to the highest ethical standards and that his ANC renewal project demands humility in engaging citizens.
Opposition parties argue that Ramaphosa cannot look away. If a mayor or councillor had insulted a resident in such vulgar terms, they would have been hauled before a disciplinary hearing. A Cabinet Minister, they say, must be held to an even higher standard.
Majodina, a former ANC Chief Whip known for her fiery style, has not always courted controversy, but her tenure at Water and Sanitation has been under intense scrutiny as municipalities collapse under water infrastructure failures.
Ramaphosa’s office had not commented on whether he will act against Majodina at the time of publication.