Cyril Ramaphosa speak to journalists outside Nasrec, after recusing himself from an NWC meeting.
President Cyril Ramaphosa stepped out of the ANC’s National Working Committee (NWC) meeting happening at Nasrec Convenction Centre on Sunday, to allow the committee to deliberate the controversial Phala Phala report.
The report into the alleged theft of $580 000 at his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo has been the source for plenty of headaches for Ramaphosa this past week.
The party’s NWC is currently meeting at Nasrec, ahead of a meeting of the National Executive Committee on Monday.
Ramaphosa addressed journalists outside the venue on Sunday afternoon, after recusing himself, in order to allow the NWC space to discuss the report and his future.
It found that he has a case to answer, and insiders this week said the President had told senior party members he would resign over the matter.
This would have been the first time that an ANC president voluntarily offered step down, following accusations of misconduct.
He has since changed his mind, but a special national executive committee (NEC) meeting, scheduled for Thursday was adjourned, after appearing to be heading for a stand-off between the Thuma Mina and RET factions, who wanted Ramaphosa to step down immediately.
Among those calling for Ramaphosa’s head, the most prominent have been Lindiwe Sisulu and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, both of whom were until recently considered to be opponents for the position of ANC president at the party’s upcoming national elective conference.
Also Read: ‘Corrupt money launderers’ are ‘enemies of the people, anti-ANC’ – Lindiwe Sisulu