Ramaphosa here to stay — Kodwa
• ANC head of presidency says party leader’s election cannot be overturned as Cosatu and chief whip call for probe into alleged plot
No-one will overturn the outcome of the ANC’s Nasrec conference that elected President Cyril Ramaphosa to lead the governing party, says head of the presidency at Luthuli House, Zizi Kodwa.
Kodwa was reacting on Monday to a Sunday Times report on an alleged plot to unseat Ramaphosa, in which the ANC’s own secretary-general, Ace Magashule, as well as its former president, Jacob Zuma, were implicated.
Kodwa would not be drawn on whether the ANC would investigate the allegations or discuss them with Magashule, simply saying the alleged meeting was not an ANC one and those who participated in it were best placed to respond.
This was in stark contrast to ANC spokesperson, Pule Mabe, who outright dismissed the report as lies.
“I can assure you, however, that no-one inside the ANC or outside will succeed in changing the outcome of the Nasrec conference … which elected president Ramaphosa,” Kodwa said.
Zuma and Magashule are at the centre of allegations around state capture currently being brought to light at the state capture inquiry chaired by deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo.
Magashule had supported minister in the presidency and Zuma’s preferred candidate, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to take over the reins of the ANC, instead of Ramaphosa.
He was elected secretarygeneral on a “unity” ticket at the gathering, aimed at preventing a split in the party.
The Sunday Times reported that Magashule and Zuma, along with ousted North West chair Supra Mahumapelo, met in Durban last week to discuss a plan to unseat Ramaphosa by challenging the outcome of the Nasrec conference in court. The newspaper included a picture of the three, along with ANC Women’s League secretary-general Meokgo Matuba, who also attended the meeting.
On Monday, Cosatu expressed concern about the allegations and joined ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu in calling on the ANC to investigate whether there was such a plot.
Cosatu secretary-general Bheki Ntshalintshali on Monday said the federation wanted the ANC to get to the bottom of the allegations, because it was not the first time questions had been raised about Magashule’s commitment to the ANC’s attempt to unite the party.
Cosatu, the first organisation in the alliance to come out in support of Ramaphosa to lead the ANC at the Nasrec conference, will discuss the new development at its national congress, to start next week.
Ntshalintshali said the ANC had to come out very strongly to condemn any attempts to undermine its president. He emphasised the party should not ignore the allegations.
Kodwa said those who attended the Durban meeting should explain its purpose.
He said the ANC was seized with the mandate it received at Nasrec, which was to unite and renew the party, and this should be the focus of its leadership.
The presidency on Monday referred questions on the matter to the ANC.