The ANC does not know what to do, at least for now, if President Cyril Ramaphosa keeps to his reported plan to quit as head of state after the upcoming G20 summit to be hosted in South Africa.
This is according to certain ANC’s top seven members that Sunday World spoke to following the Sunday Times’ revelation last week that Ramaphosa is “in the departure lounge”.
It appears that Ramaphosa has not discussed with his ANC colleagues his plan to leave, whom he is yet to meet since the revelation.
Ramaphosa is expected meet with his fellow national officials tomorrow, when they would ask him to take them into his confidence about reports that he wants to quit.
ANC top brass that we spoke to said there was no plan in place on how to act should he leave. This is because he had not informed them about his decision, so that they could understand what his thinking was.
One national official said they know the man is indeed on his way out. “Something is cooking, that I can confirm, but we do not know what happens afterwards, when and if CR (Ramaphosa) leaves.
“But if he leaves, it would be natural for Spokes (deputy president Paul Mashatile) to take over. But then there is this rumour that ANC national chairman Gwede (Mantashe) could take over until the next conference.”
This newspaper has previously reported that Mantashe and Mashatile have a secret pact that should Ramaphosa jump ship, the former ANC secretary-general will hold the fort until the next elections whereafter Mashatile to take over.
“If Spokes allows that, he would be finished. He cannot do that because he may never be the president again. That would be extremely stupid to allow Gwede to be president first.
“Maybe that would work in 2027, but if CR leaves now, Spokes must take over because he has everyone’s support.”
But we understand that the Mantashe takeover has transformed into a fresh conversation wherein he would become deputy president if Mashatile becomes head of state.
Another national official said Ramaphosa’s exit now would be disastrous for the ANC. The leader added that should they be given a chance to voice their view to Ramaphosa before he makes a final decision, they would advise him to see his term out.
“We have not spoken to the man since the news broke that he might be leaving after the G20 summit, but we will see him next Monday,” said the leader, who asked to remain anonymous given the sensitivity of the matter.
“I do not support a president not finishing his term. This thing is finishing the ANC. We have learnt the hard way with (Thabo) Mbeki and (Jacob) Zuma. It is an unnecessary thing that disrupts the functioning of the government and the ANC. I will never support that.”
Another ANC national official said they were against those saying Ramaphosa must bite the dust because of his recent blunder of endorsing the DA during the ANC roll call with its councillors. If anything, Ramaphosa must stay on to mop up his own mess.
The comrade argued that Ramaphosa had done well in that regard so far.
“We must keep him so that he must be the one who corrects his own mistake.
“He must continue with the narrative that he was distorted. But we cannot want to see the man’s back just for the sake of it, we must avoid disruption.
“We messed up with Thabo Mbeki, and we messed up with Zuma, we cannot repeat that mistake.”
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu had not responded to questions sent to her at the time of going to print.
