Urgent call for unity in struggling municipalities

RAMAPHOSA'S SECRET RETREAT

- MASHUDU SADIKE [e-mail]

DURING a hush-hush meeting at the weekend, president Cyril Ramaphosa appealed to Government of National Unity (GNU) leaders to rally together to improve the country's municipalities and solidify their coalition.

The meeting, at a retreat in the Cradle of Humankind, near Johannesburg, also brought to the fore Ramaphosa's own leadership challenges and the growing number dissenting voices, especially from the ANC, who are questioning his ability to lead the country.

There was conjecture that Ramaphosa was considering stepping down.

Sources close to the discussions from within government, the ANC and opposition parties, revealed that a significant portion of the closed-door discussions revolved around the critical state of local governance and next year's elections.

While no official agenda was shared, and leaders were ordered to maintain secrecy, the urgency of municipal collapse appears to have dominated much of the conversation.

"The President was very clear," one ANC source said.