President Cyril Ramaphosa will be in Durban to asses the progress since he appointed the Presidential Working Group to improve the running of the ANC-led eThekwini municipality.
Image: Phando Jikelo
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to have tough talks with the ANC provincial and eThekwini task teams amid Umkhonto weSizwe Party’s threats to take over the eThekwini Metro in this year's local government elections.
The president is scheduled to meet with his eThekwini Presidential Working Group on Tuesday which he appointed under Section 154, to assist the City with administrative issues that led to the collapse of infrastructure a few years ago. The meeting coincides with the unveiling of the giant statues of the party’s struggle icons, Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo.
His engagement comes on the back of the MKP’s threats to wrest away the only Metro in the province, from the ANC. The working group’s report will be politically important for the president and the ANC ahead of local government elections as parties are expected to highlight poor service delivery under the ANC in their campaign to dislodge the party from power. The ANC lost its majority in the province for the first time in the 2024 national elections and was forced to form a coalition with the IFP, DA and NFP.
While the ANC in the province boasts of improvements in the running of the City under mayor Cyril Xaba, with the assistance of the president’s Working Group, opposition parties have highlighted a litany of failures.
The DA has also criticised the decision to spend R22 million on the Mandela and Tambo statues, arguing that the funds should have been channeled to service delivery.
On Friday, the DA’s mayoral candidate in eThekwini, Haniff Hoosen penned an open letter to the president pleading with him to cancel the unveiling. He argued that spending R22 million on statues comes at the height of persistent water and electricity outages, which affect the residents of eThekwini.
“Mr President, your visit in Durban is welcomed but it must not be about the unveiling of statues, it must be about your working group you appointed, it must be about holding the City officials to account. People of eThekwini don’t need statues but water,” said Hoosen.
Ramaphosa is also scheduled to discuss the City’s issues with the Durban Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. ANC provincial spokesperson Fanle Sibisi said Ramaphosa will hold a detailed meeting with provincial leadership on 28 March.
willem.phungula@inl.co.za