Secret GNU talks held to discuss future of the coalition

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa, held a secretive two-day retreat at the Cradle of Humankind, where he urged leaders of the Government of National Unity (GNU) to collaborate in order to rescue the country’s struggling municipalities.

- MASHUDU SADIKE

The gathering, which concluded on Saturday, was convened amid speculation about the GNU’s future and about Ramaphosa’s own leadership, with several ANC insiders expressing a growing lack of confidence in his ability to steer the nation.

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.