Ramaphosa still in charge, no need for panic: Paul Mashatile

The plan to oust President Cyril Ramaphosa from office before the ANC's elective conference scheduled for next week was foiled at a marathon national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Monday.

Ramaphosa’s ANC detractors had hoped the section 89 panel report that found he may have a prima facie case to answer regarding the robbery at his Phala Phala farm would force him out of office as president of the party and the country.

They were defeated after the NEC decided Ramaphosa will continue in his role while taking the report on judicial review. The NEC also instructed ANC MPs to vote against its adoption when it is debated in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

According to acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile, there were differing views over Ramaphosa’s fate at the beginning of the meeting but consensus was reached that it is the prerogative of the president to challenge the report in court.

“After a long debate, there were comrades who felt the report should be rejected, others said maybe it should be noted, but at the end of that debate the meeting agreed that once the report is taken on review and parliament is going to debate it the ANC will vote against it,” Mashatile said.

“So, we’re not going to note the report, but we will not support it. It means the president continues with his duties as president of the ANC and the republic. But the NEC agreed the president must continue to be held accountable.”

Mashatile said the ANC was not blindly shielding its president from accountability because there were other institutions dealing with the Phala Phala saga, including  the Hawks and the public protector.

Ramaphosa is not completely out of the woods yet as the party’s integrity commission (IC) is expected to table its report at another special NEC sitting on Friday.

TimesLIVE last month reported on a draft IC report which said the scandal had brought the party into disrepute.

The ethics body, however, could not determine whether Ramaphosa, those who work on the farm, Arthur Fraser or ANC members should be held responsible.

“As you know that report will set other processes in motion, like impeachment, and we are not supporting a process that will lead to the impeachment of the president,” Mashatile said.

ANC MPs who plan to “go rogue” will be dealt with as and when “we cross that bridge”.

According to Mashatile, the uncertainty over Ramaphosa’s future has been settled and there was no need for panic in the party, the country and outside it.

“Our view is that business confidence needs stability; if there’s stability there will be business confidence. When we wake up tomorrow the markets will know this country has a president who is in office, who is working and that should provide enough stability,” he said.

But the Assembly's programming committee, at the eleventh hour late on Monday night, resolved to postpone the vote to December 13 to allow MPs to be physically present in parliament.

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