Ramaphosa has denied rumours that he tried stepping down as ANC president in the past.
Questions have been raised about whether President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead the ANC to the next local government elections in 2026.
This comes after reports about a faction inside the ANC pushing for Ramaphosa’s exit before his term ends.
The elections will be held in November 2026.
On Sunday, Ramaphosa reportedly told the National Executive Committee (NEC) of his party to stop spreading rumours about him stepping down.
He allegedly made these remarks during a political overview report.
There were indications of tension on the last day of the NEC meeting at the Germiston Civic Centre after the media was told that Ramaphosa would deliver his closing address with only ANC members present.
Whispers around the NEC venue on Sunday were all about Ramaphosa’s future, with claims that a faction was pushing for him to leave before the elections, in an effort to “save the party”. Others claimed he might leave to preserve his legacy, amid predictions that ANC support will drop further in the elections.
The party’s acting spokesperson, Nonceba Mhlauli, responded to questions about the president being in the “departure lounge.”
“On the question of the departure lounge, I am not sure which departure lounge that is. As far as we are concerned, there is no departure lounge.
“This NEC, with its president, was elected in 2022. Our term ends in December 2027, and our term will end with President Cyril Ramaphosa as the president of the ANC, where he will be handing over,” she said.
Ramaphosa reacts to rumors
Later that day, the SABC reported Ramaphosa lashed out at his NEC, telling those who have been spreading rumours about his departure to stop discussing his exit in dark corners. He allegedly called them cowards.
“Ramaphosa told the NEC that if he is asked to resign, he will even do it tomorrow,” said the broadcaster.
On Thursday, the ANC’s Elections subcommittee, led by former president Kgalema Motlanthe, held a media briefing in Johannesburg to outline the ANC’s approach to the elections.
But the panel declined to comment on Ramaphosa’s alleged departure.
Why does a faction want Ramaphosa gone?
Political analyst Andre Duvenhage told The Citizen that there are many reasons that some members of the NEC would want Ramaphosa out before his term ends.
He outlined that Ramaphosa has been facing opposition from the Zuma faction or remnants of the Radical Economic Transformation (RET) faction ever since he became the party’s president
Last year, this faction led by former president Jacob Zuma began the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK Party), which dropped the ANC below 40% ushering them into the government of national unity (GNU).
Duvenhage said the latest probes by the Madlanga commission and parliament’s ad hoc committee also added pressure on Ramaphosa since these processes have tainted his party.
“Many people want to take him out. He came into the presidency with the unity card, but there has been disunity and discord within the structures of the ANC. There is the fact that the ANC is also losing its momentum, and he has no consolidated power base to build on,” he said.
Duvenhage said Ramaphosa’s utterances to the NEC on Sunday should not be taken lightly.
“The most likely scenario is that he is not going to be the face of the ANC for the elections come 2026,” he said.
Duvenhage said even if Ramaphosa stays on as president, the ANC will not perform well in the upcoming elections.
“That is why there is a call for Thabo Mbeki and others to come and take the ANC forward. The Ramaphosa term is seen as the biggest ANC failure since 1994,” he said.
ALSO READ: Mbalula defends BEE while questions over G20 summit legitimacy arise amid no-shows
Can the NGC remove a president?
Theo Neethling, a political analyst from Free State University (UFS) said it is important to note that Ramaphosa has not expressed any intention to resign and that the rumours originated from unnamed sources.
“What we do know is that the ANC is internally divided and that there are some ANC members who do indeed want to encourage the president’s early departure.
“Still, I cannot imagine that the ANC would expect the president to step down before the local government elections.
“Personally, I am also of the opinion that the president would want to complete his term, but as we know, both former presidents Mbeki and Zuma lost support and their presidencies ended after the ANC elected new leadership during the party’s leadership election in 2007,” he said.
The ANC will have their National General Council (NGC) in Soweto in December. It is at this conference that the party will review some of the work they have done over the last few years.
Some believe Ramaphosa’s performance will come to the spotlight at this conference, but the council will not have the power to remove him as president.
NOW READ: ANCYL dismisses reports of succession battles, confirms call for early national congress
