ANC denies plot to get rid of Cyril Ramaphosa

Multiple groups within the African National Congress (ANC) have pushed back against rumours that an internal coup is brewing to remove President Cyril Ramaphosa before his term ends.

Over the weekend, Sunday World reported that a growing rebellion is emerging within ANC ranks to oust Ramaphosa at the forthcoming party NEC meeting.

“I am aware of comrades in this very room lobbying for my removal because they are unhappy with their positions,” Ramaphosa is reported to have said in a meeting, referring to deputy ministers who were once ministers.

The ANC quickly issued an official statement taking aim at the publication, accusing the story of being “deliberately designed to manufacture divisions where none exist and distract us.”

The ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) were among the first to respond, saying on 30 November that it was “outraged at the alleged plot by some ANC National Executive Committee members, who want to see the President removed from office.”

“It is quite alarming that some within the ANC might disregard established organisational protocols to raise any discontent arising from the leadership of the President and choose to inundate the media with falsehood,” said the ANCWL.

The ANC Youth League said that it “notes with disdain the continued attempts by faceless and spineless elements to distort the political environment of our movement.”

“These coordinated efforts, including the malicious rumours… are nothing more than a desperate attempt to manufacture instability and sow division within the ANC,” added the ANCYL, doubling down on its endorsement of Ramaphosa.

The ANC Veterans League’s President Snuki Zikalala condemned “dark forces within and outside the ANC for challenging the competency of President Ramaphosa and undermining the ANC.”

They assure that Ramaphosa will complete his term. The next ANC National Conference is scheduled for December 2027.

This is an elective conference held every five years that will elect the new National Executive Committee and “Top Six” leaders, including ANC President.

No ANC President in democratic South Africa has finished two terms as the country’s president without being recalled after losing the party leadership position.

Alleged plot to remove Ramaphosa

In November, it was widely reported that there were calls within the ANC to oust Ramaphosa, disband the NEC, and replace the leadership with a national task team led by former president Thabo Mbeki.

This is after the ANC received its worst election showing yet in 2024, amassing 40% of the vote.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s advisor and special envoy, Bejani Chauke, dismissed rumours that the president is planning to step down.

“This rumour is untrue and aims to cast aspersions on the successful build-up of the first-ever G20 Summit in Africa,” he said.

“The President’s mission has been to lead the fight for clean government and to reverse corruption and malfeasance, inspiring hope and resolve across the nation.”

“This has been seen in his commitment to see justice by elevating the importance of independent courts and judicial commissions of enquiry,” he added.

He said Ramaphosa has consistently and resolutely expressed his commitment to national unity, fostering a sense of cohesion and solidarity among South Africans.

“The South African constitutional framework permits a president to serve a maximum of two terms,” he said.

“President Ramaphosa completed his first term and was re-elected by parliament, a democratic institution representing the people’s will, to serve a second term.”