LISTEN: Leaked Paul Mashatile audio hints at Zuma’s future

'We have now agreed that if the president does not resign voluntarily, we will recall him.'

ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile addresses the MKMVA’s Provincial Assembly of Cadres in Johannesburg on Saturday. Picture: Refilwe Modise

On Wednesday night, leaked audio revealing the ANC’s plans for President Jacob Zuma was sent by ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile to TimesLIVE.

The audio confirms that the ANC planned to dispose of Zuma at the national executive committee (NEC), which was due to take place yesterday. The meeting was cancelled, following ‘constructive discussions’ between Zuma and newly elected ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa.

The audio was recorded while Mashatile was addressing investors at the annual Mining Indaba in Cape Town on Tuesday. This was on the day that the planned NEC meeting, due to take place the next day, was abruptly cancelled. Mashatile confirmed during his address that the plan was to recall Zuma from office at the meeting, should he refuse to resign.

“We have been talking about a word … we just coined it, it’s a word called managing the transition. And, interestingly, on Sunday evening, President Zuma says to us: ‘What do you guys mean by transition?’ So we said to him, it’s handing over power from you to Cyril…,” Mashatile revealed to a jovial audience.

His confidence in not wanting Zuma to be in power anymore was clear, as well as the fact that the ANC was uncomfortable with two centres of power.

“We were saying to President Zuma on Sunday that we don’t want two centres of power, we want President Ramaphosa to take control. Not only in the ANC, but on affairs in the state … Our view as the leadership of the ANC is that the sooner the president of the republic steps over for new leadership to take over, the better.”

Mashatile also revealed that Zuma was adamant that he is not resigning voluntarily, adding they would have no choice but to recall him.

“President Zuma basically said to us, ‘I’m not going anywhere, I’m not convinced by you guys … We have now agreed that if the president does not resign voluntarily, we will recall him.”

Listen to the leaked audio below: