The African National Congress (ANC) has dismissed claims that some leaders within the party are plotting to oust President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This week, The Citizen published a report quoting sources that claimed ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule is behind this plot.
The unnamed sources claimed that the alleged plot would see ANC Deputy President David Mabuza replacing Ramaphosa as President at the party’s national general council in 2020.
‘We are a united leadership’
Either Magashule or ANC national executive committee (NEC) member Lindiwe Sisulu would then become Deputy President, according to the sources.
Another report by the Sunday Independent claimed that four members of the ANC’s top 6 confronted Ramaphosa over his recent decisions with regard to state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
However, in a media briefing on the outcomes of the recent NEC meeting on Wednesday, Magashule emphasised that the ANC’s top 6 remains united.
Magashule said, “Possible ousting of President Ramaphosa – I think that’s what the media wants us to do. That’s what the forces of reaction want us to do. I want to say once more – we are a united, collective leadership.”
‘Collective decision-making’
He added, “So, it is not true, because the NGC, in terms of our constitution, is a mid-term review where we assess progress.
“It’s not about the removal of President Ramaphosa or the Secretary-General, because I think that is the wish of some people to divide and entrench divisions in the ANC. And we have agreed collectively that we would never allow that to happen.”
The Secretary-General also emphasised that the collective leadership and structures of the ANC have confidence in Ramaphosa.
“The President is part of us. Don’t isolate him to be a President there and you put us here. We are one,” he said.
Magashule added that recent decisions taken in government, such as putting the South African Airways (SAA) into business rescue, were taken collectively after engagements and consultations in accordance with ANC traditions.
Deputy President Mabuza expressed similar sentiments on Tuesday while addressing the 4th special national conference of the South African Communist Party (SACP).
He defended Ramaphosa against criticism over the appointment Andre de Ruyter as Eskom CEO, insisting that it was a collective decision.
Mabuza said, “The recent deployment of Eskom CEO…is a decision that we took in the deployment committee, all of us.
“And people are now quiet. The only person that is being blamed is the President. The decision to deploy de Ruyter as the CEO is a decision that we took collectively.”
Mabuza added that the appointment, which some criticised as “anti-transformation,” should be seen as part of the ANC’s “programme” to build a nonracial society.