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Pretoria — The Cabinet lekgotla, beginning yesterday, is about service delivery, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said.
“For ordinary South Africans what this lekgotla is about is service delivery, especially at local government level,” Radebe told reporters in Pretoria before the start of the meeting. The electorate had given the ANC a mandate to implement its election manifesto and National Development Plan.
The ongoing strike in the platinum mining sector would definitely be discussed, he said.
“The platinum strike is having a debilitating effect on South Africa. When it [the mining industry] sneezes, South Africa catches the flu.”
President Jacob Zuma would not attend the lekgotla as he was still resting.
The lekgotla would run until Thursday and would be chaired by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Zuma was discharged from a Pretoria hospital on Sunday after spending a night there.
Radebe said Ramaphosa had been in touch with Zuma regarding the lekgotla. “He [Zuma] is improving, the deputy president has reported to us. He was with him last night and this morning. “He is improving well. He’s resting so that he is ready for the state-of-the-nation address on Tuesday, the 17th.”
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said Zuma, 72, went for a routine health check. On Friday, the ANC’s leadership said Zuma was instructed to take a break as the election campaign had taken its toll on him. Mantashe said the party’s election campaign had been punishing and all senior members of the party would take time off one after another to “re-energise”. — Sapa
derick.khumalo