Archbishop Thabo Makgoba calls for 'government of national unity' if Ramaphosa loses support of ANC

Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba on Friday called for the establishment of a government of national unity under a respected elder should President Cyril Ramaphosa lose the support of his party.

Makgoba said the ANC “seems to be in meltdown” while most South Africans wanted to see their leaders dealing with the serious problems the country faces.

“The country is in crisis and our governing party seems to be in meltdown.

“It is correct that no-one should be above the law, but to pass final judgment on a person based on what is in effect a board of preliminary investigation which has not made a final determination of the facts could lead to lawlessness in South Africa.

“The church is observing the season of advent, which is a time of alertness as we wait to celebrate at Christmas the arrival of the Incarnate Son. Our focus as we prepare for Christmas should be to give voice to the 'ordinary' people.

“Most South Africans want to see our political leaders dealing with problems such as load-shedding and joblessness urgently and are probably getting impatient with seeing a governing party at war with itself.

“If the president loses the political support of his party before a final determination of his conduct is made, I call for the establishment of a government of national unity under a respected elder to stabilise the country until the next election.

“And during the next year we need to hold an economic Codesa to address the real crisis facing the country, which is the scandalous gap between those who benefit from intergenerational wealth and those locked out of the economy.”

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