Ramaphosa in media scrum
Cape Town — When asked the question on the country’s lips — what President Jacob Zuma’s immediate future holds — ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa just laughed.
Ramaphosa found himself in a media-scrum as he exited Cape Town’s St George’s Cathedral, where he attended a service yesterday morning with other ANC leaders.
“We leave this church well-armed with blessings and prayers from the bishop,” Ramaphosa said.
“So as the leadership of the ANC, we have been well-empowered as we move ahead. We would like to thank you very much, we would like to thank the congregation for their total support as we manage this transition.”
It was then that the question was asked of when there would be word on Zuma’s exit.
“Thank you very much, ha-ha-ha-ha,” Ramaphosa responded as he started to move across Wale Street to the Taj Hotel’s side-entrance, hugging babies along the way, with his security detail in close attendance.
Shortly after 9am, with Ramaphosa’s appearance imminent, two of his security detail’s members removed a supposedly homeless man who delivered a sermon of a kind to the assembled journalists waiting on Ramaphosa.
Minutes later, a motorcade of at least nine cars arrived. Ramaphosa got out and briskly made his way to the church’s entrance, surrounded by his guards, cameras’ shutters clicking and video cameras rolling all the while.
Ramaphosa took a seat at the front bench, flanked by ANC NEC member Nomaindia Mfeketo and acting Western Cape chairperson of the ANC Khaya Magaxa.
Reverend Michael Weeder welcomed everyone to the service and mentioned Ramaphosa by name.
During his sermon Weeder would often use a colloquial Afrikaans phrase, like “hou jou bek” (shut your mouth), much to Ramaphosa’s amusement.
Weeder referred to February 11, 1990, when Nelson Mandela was released and addressed a massive crowd at Cape Town’s Grand Parade, where a much younger and “shy” — according to Weeder — Ramaphosa held the microphone for him. Ramaphosa smiled and nodded his head. “We’re heading to a new beginning, new moments, new challenges to become better than we were. Let’s see this past that’s behind us as injury time,” preached Weeder.
“And now we come back on the field and we’re giving our best and are recommitted. Because we can. Because we’ve been in troubled times before and we did overcome.” Ramaphosa smiled and nodded his head. Weeder spoke of the land question. “It is unfinished business, Mr Deputy President,” he said. Again, Ramaphosa smiled and nodded his head. After his sermon Weeder called Ramaphosa and his ANC colleagues forward to be blessed in prayer, whereafter Ramaphosa received hugs from members of the congregation and greeted some of the children.
Thereafter they participated in communion. Ramaphosa shook hands with former finance minister Trevor Manuel when the latter came forward to take communion.
Meanwhile, ANC treasurer general Paul Mashatile has told churchgoers at a Gugulethu church that the ANC was sorting out Zuma’s future, and assured them “Zuma will go”.
Mashatile and deputy ministers Bheki Cele and Mcebisi Skwatsha attended Jafta Methodist Church in Gugulethu on Sunday as part of centenary celebrations for former president Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday year.
Yesterday was also the 28th anniversary of Mandela leaving prison in 1990.
The newly-elected treasurer of the ANC took to the pulpit to tell the congregation that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was finalising Zuma’s exit terms.
“President Zuma will go. ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa is the only president, so don’t be confused. President Zuma has finished his job and he will go,” he said in isiXhosa.
The ANC was a democratic organisation, he continued. Zuma was elected to serve certain terms, and it was now Ramaphosa’s time as president.
“Don’t worry. Don’t worry. There are talks, and we will sort these things out,” he said.
“When is the president leaving? We will make sure he is leaving. He must go, so that ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa can do what he needs to do to sort out the economy issues.
“President Ramaphosa is going to lead us to economic recovery. We want our economy to grow, so we can create jobs for the people.”
For this to happen, Ramaphosa needed to come into government as soon as possible, so that corruption could end, he said.
He then switched to English: “President Ramaphosa will be at the forefront in making sure there is good governance around stateowned entities.
“The funds that people contribute through taxes must be used to improve the lives of poor people.
“The ANC cannot be preoccupied with itself. It must worry about the people. Today is a great day, when president Mandela was released from prison. We are going to celebrate that today.
“But as we celebrate this day, we need to say the — ANC is in good hands today. The ANC is with the people.”
He asked that congregants continued to pray for the renewal of the party, as the ANC had been started by religious leaders in 1912.
Ramaphosa, who attended another service yesteray at St George’s Cathedral in the Cape Town CBD, is due to speak at the party’s #Mandela100 rally at the Grand parade later yesterday. — Sapa