Majodina is seen and heard in a video of the meeting telling the man to get out before repeating the insult he had directed at her.
Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
Political analysts have warned that Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina’s alleged swearing at a disabled resident during a community meeting reinforces perceptions that ANC leaders are detached and arrogant, saying such incidents could cost the party votes.
Majodina has once again faced backlash, this time after a video showed her appearing to swear at a disabled resident during a community meeting in the Kouga Municipality this week.
The meeting, held in Loerie, turned chaotic after a resident who was being escorted out of the venue reportedly swore at Majodina.
In response, the minister was heard telling him to leave and insulting him.
WATCH: A video of the altercation at the meeting
Minister incidents show a worsening relationship between ANC and public
The minister is also heard saying that the man had disrespected her.
Kouga municipality administrator Kyle Minnaar, who was present at the gathering, said the minister had “chased a disabled member of Loerie out of the hall and called him ‘jou ma se p*es'”.
Political analysts said the Majodina incident shows the ANC’s worsening relationship with the public and that the election outcome will reveal the extent of the deterioration.
Jan-Jan Joubert said he cannot see how the incident could benefit the ANC.
“It must mean that it will damage the ANC. The extent of the damage will show in the election results,” he said.
Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast said the incident indicates poor leadership and that many leaders don’t see themselves as people who serve.
“They see themselves as people who are above their followers. There is a lack of humility. There’s too much arrogance,” Breakfast said.
“People think that they are doing us a favour by leading us. Yet they come to us for votes.”
Professor Theo Neethling said the incident is unlikely, on its own, to have a significant direct impact on the election results; however, its political significance shouldn’t be underestimated.
“In an election period, such behaviour can reinforce perceptions that some ANC leaders have become detached from ordinary citizens and are insufficiently sensitive to voters’ concerns,” Neethling said.
He added that the real danger lies in the cumulative effect of such incidents.
“While it would be difficult to argue that these incidents alone will cost the ANC significant numbers of votes, they can reinforce existing dissatisfaction and encourage disillusioned voters either to abstain or to support opposition parties,” Neethling said.
Minister accused of politicising community meeting
Minaar claimed that the incident occurred after the minister had campaigned for the ANC, calling for people to vote for the party. This despite her being at the meeting in her official ministerial role.
“This is an abuse of power, completely disrespectful to residents, and totally unacceptable behaviour from a Cabinet minister,” Minnaar said.
Joubert and Breakfast said Majodina campaigning for the ANC during a community meeting shows the line between the party and state has always been blurred.
“The blurring of lines is literally ANC policy since cadre deployment was adopted at the 1997 Mahikeng Conference. Of course it is utterly unacceptable, but unfortunately it is not surprising,” Joubert said.
Breakfast, however, emphasised that citizens don’t have to blindly accept such conduct from Cabinet ministers.
“Remember, one of the philosophical foundations of democracy is the sovereign right, which is the ability of the citizens to hire and fire. We punish them at the polls,” he said.
The Citizen has reached out to the minister’s spokesperson and the municipality for comment on the incident. Their response will be included once received.
How Majodina came to insult a resident
Speaking to broadcaster eNCA, Minnaar gave further detail on how the meeting unfolded.
“During the Q&A session, a resident who was forced out of the hall was disagreeing with another resident who was talking. I suppose he talked out of turn when the minister requested that this resident be removed from the hall. Whilst he was walking out of the hall, she passed the insult,” he said.
Minnaar said he was disappointed in the minister’s conduct.
“It’s disappointing to see a minister act in such a fashion, disrespecting a member of the community but also the entire community,” he said.
He acknowledged that the resident who was removed may have been “guilty of speaking out of turn,” but maintained this was not reason enough for the minister to respond as she did.
Not the first controversy for Majodina
This is not the first time Majodina’s conduct has drawn public criticism.
Last year, she faced backlash after performing the “Rain Watcher” song, complete with dancing and chanting, at a summit reportedly held in Cape Town.
Earlier this year, she again sang a version of the water song during a visit to Ethiopia, drawing criticism from South Africans who pointed out that many communities back home still lacked reliable access to water.
Reaction to the Loerie incident has been divided online, with some commentators defending the minister and others condemning her behaviour.
One Facebook user, commenting under Minnaar’s post, wrote that “the pressure is mounting” and that ANC officials were “cracking under pressure.”
Lux Mbundwini defended the minister’s reaction.
“I am not ANC, but disabled or not, if uyageza, uyageza phuma phandle (if you are being disrespectful, you’re being disrespectful [and] you should be escorted out). Being disabled does not give you a free pass,” he said.
‘Don’t stoop to the level of provokers’
Breakfast said leaders should be mature in the face of provocation and that they cannot stoop to the level of those provoking them because two wrongs don’t make a right.
Joubert said provocation is part of the job as a minister and must be handled with humour, class and style.
“South Africans are no angels – some disgrace themselves, their parents and their community through their conduct, but that is no reason to descend to this level of behaviour,” he said.
“If President Ramaphosa expects his Cabinet members to have, or feign, even a modicum of respect for normal citizens like you and me, then surely shouting ‘Jou ma se p**s’ at a citizen must be the lowest of low-class behaviour.”
Both analysts called for the minister to be sanctioned, disciplined or reprimanded for her conduct.
Neethling added that there is an interesting contrast between the leader’s behaviour and the ANC’s 2026 election campaign message, “Year of Decisive Action to Fix Local Government”.
“If voters simultaneously see senior ANC figures becoming irritated or abusive when confronted about local-government problems, the credibility of that message can be weakened,” he said.
Municipality highlights infrastructure launch, silent on altercation
Kouga Local Municipality released a statement on the day’s events but did not mention the confrontation. Instead, the statement focused on the official launch of the upgraded Loerie Sewer Pump Station and a new rising main, a R5.98 million project funded through the Water Services Infrastructure Grant to address recurring pump failures in the area.
Executive Mayor Hattingh Bornman welcomed Majodina and her delegation, describing the launch as part of the municipality’s broader commitment to service delivery.
“Infrastructure is not just concrete, pipes and machinery,” Bornman said, adding that it was “about dignity” and protecting communities.
The statement noted that a public meeting followed the launch, during which the mayor and minister engaged directly with residents.
