The Democratic Alliance has attributed low attendance at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Freedom Day address in the Free State to what it described as widespread public distrust in the ANC.

The opposition party said the province continues to experience service delivery failures at municipal and provincial levels, with communities facing water shortages, sewage spills and deteriorating road infrastructure.

The DA linked the Free State to state capture, describing it as central to corruption scandals. The party said Ramaphosa arrived “with rhetoric instead of announcing real criminal accountability for ANC members and others” involved in corruption.

“Free Staters need to see more arrests and less talk from the President,” the statement read.

The DA noted that the Free State Premier faces corruption allegations, criticising Ramaphosa for keeping her in office.

The party predicted that the ANC would face poor electoral performance in upcoming local government elections, saying residents are “tired of empty promises, stolen dreams, and a stolen democracy”.

The ANC and the Presidency have not yet responded to the claims.