Cape Town - While President Cyril Ramaphosa may be disappointed by ANC’s recent result in the local government elections, he made time to speak to the newly elected mayors on Tuesday.
Taking to social media, the Presidency posted a picture of the president chatting on the phone while a newspaper lay open in front of him. Ramaphosa appeared to be all smiles.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa making calls to congratulate newly elected Metro mayors and welcoming them to the President’s Coordinating Council, a body that brings together different spheres of government to ensure integrated service delivery,” the social media post read.
One of the mayors who received a call from Ramaphosa was City of Cape Town’s youngest mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, who was caught off-guard by the call.
“I was surprised to get a call from Cyril Ramaphosa this evening to offer his congratulations. Nice touch, Mr President,” he said.
“It was an honour to chat with you, and I look forward to many more as we try to do the best for our city and country.”
The ANC has been suffering heavy defeats this week as its voter support has dropped in the country’s nine provinces, and further saw Gauteng metros being snatched by the DA as the opposition’s Randall Williams secured the position of Tshwane mayor.
The new Johannesburg mayor is Mpho Phalatse and Ekurhuleni has named the DA’s Tania Campbell as mayor.
The ANC also lost support in Mogale City on the West Rand and other municipalities in Limpopo, Free State, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.
President @CyrilRamaphosa making calls to congratulate newly elected Metro mayors and welcoming them to the President’s Coordinating Council, a body that brings together different spheres of government to ensure integrated service delivery. #GrowSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/ArVjoEZ7mq
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) November 23, 2021
I was surprised to get a call from @CyrilRamaphosa this evening to offer his congratulations. Nice touch, Mr President!
— Geordin Hill-Lewis (@geordinhl) November 23, 2021
It was an honour to chat with you, and I look forward to many more as we try to do the best for our city and country.
Speaking to the media during the visit by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Union Buildings in Tshwane on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said the party’s poor performance was a setback for the ANC.
“What is unfolding is how democracy works. This is the footsteps, if you like, of democracy and we’ve seen it play out throughout the country.
“As the president of the governing party, it is disappointing for the ANC, but we should accept the clear message of our people on the ANC. We’ve taken heed and listened and this for us is a big setback, but it is also a big lesson,” he said.
Ramaphosa has assured the party they will carry out an introspection to assess the losses.