President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing a mounting wave of discontent and whispers of a plot to remove him from power before the 2027 elective conference. 

This follows controversial comments he made during the ANC’s recent roll call on Monday, where he lauded the DA-controlled municipalities as examples of good governance. 

The remarks have not only angered officials within his own party but have also provided fresh ammunition for his detractors, who are reportedly eyeing an opportunity to depose him ahead of the crucial 2026 local government elections.

However, the South African Communist Party (SACP), an ally in the tripartite alliance, has been quick to downplay these assertions, dismissing them as mere rumours.

This, despite the party itself, has detracted from the alliance following its announcement to run next year’s elections independently from the ANC.

The comments, particularly highlighting the DA’s performance in some of the country’s best-run municipalities, have sparked significant discontent within the ANC and its alliance partners.

Anger is said to have intensified among ANC officials in Gauteng and Limpopo, with some openly discussing strategies to remove Ramaphosa from his position.

During the sidelines of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting this week, senior members who are aligned against Ramaphosa, especially those who oppose the Government of National Unity (GNU) that includes the DA, seized the opportunity. 

They reportedly leveraged Ramaphosa’s assertions during the roll call, claiming that there are elements within the organisation actively plotting his removal. 

A source close to the developments described the president’s comments as “just an own goal that was deliberately created by the president… from when do leaders of the ANC de-campaign our own organisation?”

He further suggested that such a misstep could pave the way for Ramaphosa’s exit.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), another significant alliance partner, echoed the sentiment of dismay. Cosatu’s first deputy president, Mike Shingange, described Ramaphosa’s remarks praising DA-governed municipalities in the Western Cape as “unfortunate”. 

Shingange argued that such statements undermine the ANC and its allies, especially at a time when service delivery challenges and coalition tensions are dominant political issues. 

He specifically criticised the choice of Cape Town and Stellenbosch as examples, pointing out the stark inequalities visible in areas like the N2 leading into Cape Town, where informal settlements stand in stark contrast to the city’s affluent areas.

He said that the DA primarily serves the minority population and focuses on maintaining the status quo in already developed areas, rather than improving and developing townships like Khayelitsha.

However, the South African Communist Party (SACP) has taken a different stance, downplaying the talk of Ramaphosa’s removal as mere speculation. 

SACP spokesperson Mbulelo Mandlana stated: “The deposing of the president is a rumour we are unwilling to entertain, as we refuse to entertain any political rumours.” 

While refusing to comment on the president’s intent behind his statements, Mandlana said that the SACP “cannot speak for the ANC or its leaders”.

He did, however, caution that the DA’s governance record must be viewed with a “more discerning eye,” just as the ANC’s record deserves criticism. 

Mandlana argued that a “wholesale condemnation of the ANC leadership in local government is as unacceptable as the wholesale praise of the DA leadership,” noting that the ANC also boasts municipalities with clean audits. 

He acknowledged the “crisis of corruption in local government and in the state more widely,” linking it to a “parasitic political class” that has weakened the state.

ANC spokesperson Mahleni Bhengu-Motsiri did not respond to questions.

Political analyst Reerend Mo’hau Khumalo offered a scathing critique of Ramaphosa’s statements. 

Khumalo asserted that Ramaphosa’s actions confirm suspicions that he is “handing over the ANC – and with it the destiny of our people – into the hands of the very oppressor we fought for over a century to defeat”.

Khumalo said it was concerning that a sitting ANC president could not find a single shining example of service delivery from ANC-led municipalities, instead turning to the DA-led Western Cape as a model.

He lambasted this as “more than political betrayal”, viewing it as the “final stage of capitulation to the historical enemy of the African people”.

Khumalo further questioned Ramaphosa’s choice of the Western Cape, highlighting the enduring legacy of apartheid’s spatial and racial exclusion in the province.

He argued that Ramaphosa, as “the darling of the markets, of capital, and of the very colonial structures,” is overseeing a project of “assimilation into the very system that crushed the African child,” he said.

mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za

Source link