Residents react to Ramaphosa's surprise night visit to Joburg CBD

Johannesburg residents have expressed mixed reactions to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent surprise night visit to the Johannesburg inner city.

During his visit, Ramaphosa commended the strong presence of metro police (JMPD) and the visible law enforcement efforts in the CBD.

But some citizens were quick to criticise the timing of the visit, calling for Ramaphosa to experience the city during daylight hours.

In a comment on X, Thandiwe Mihlayonke said: “He was supposed to go there during the day. Not at night. They made sure that the streets are clean. Go to Joburg during the day and arrive unannounced. You will see the real Joburg and the real rot of the city. Illegals are running that city to the ground.”

Another resident, Mpho Tlhoolebe, expressed similar sentiments: “He needs to drive there during the day and see the atrocities and how visible yet ineffective your metro police are.”

The criticism comes in response to a post by JMPD chief Patrick Jaca, who shared pictures of the president’s night-time visit. In the post, Jaca said Ramaphosa reaffirmed the city’s commitment to fighting crime and restoring order.

“This reaffirms the city’s unwavering commitment to law enforcement, crime prevention and public safety. Johannesburg belongs to its people, and we are taking it back,” said Jaca.

Ramaphosa’s visit to the city forms part of a broader plan to assess developments in Gauteng ahead of a major engagement scheduled for early March. Ramaphosa and cabinet ministers will visit the Gauteng executive council on Thursday and meet city representatives on Friday.

This visit is aimed at discussing the province’s strategic development priorities and aligning them with the seventh administration’s medium-term development plan.

During these meetings, the premier and MECs are expected to update the president on the plans being implemented to improve service delivery in Gauteng.

The visit is part of Ramaphosa's efforts to engage all provinces to ensure alignment on national development goals and improve governance across the country.

While Ramaphosa’s night visit to Johannesburg was intended to showcase law enforcement efforts, the debate continues on social media as many residents are eager for him to return during the day to experience the challenges they face in broad daylight.

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