Ramaphosa takes direct swipe at Zuma: report
Deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa has made it abundantly clear that he is opposed to president Jacob Zuma – but still skirts around mentioning the president directly.
A report by the City Press has quoted Ramaphosa’s latest – unofficial – campaign speech in the Eastern Cape, where the ANC presidential hopeful spoke frankly about the state of the party and its leadership.
Addressing supporters at a forum in the Sara Baartman region in Grahamstown on Sunday, Ramaphosa said that the ANC was divided by money, and that “certain” leaders had allowed the party to be captured by “certain” families.
He urged members to head to the ANC’s elective conference in December to elect new leadership that can be relied on to unite the party, and secure a definitive victory in the 2019 elections.
Despite not mentioning president Jacob Zuma by name, it has become pretty clear that the deputy president is referring to the embattled ANC leader.
The ANC succession race has not officially begun – it will launch following the ANC’s policy conference in June – and while the party has denounced any members from campaigning before then, it has not stopped various branches of the party from openly backing their favoured politician.
Ramaphosa has upped the ante over the past few weeks, after publicly calling for a judicial commission of enquiry to be set up to investigate state capture in the country.
He all but directly called out President Zuma and the Gupta family by name, and offered to help establish the commission as an independent body to help investigate claims of trading favours between state officials and business.
“We know there is an elephant in the room, but we don’t want to talk about it,” Ramaphosa said at the time.
“There should be a judicial commission of inquiry. It is possibly the only process that will be able to get to the bottom of these allegations and determine the truthfulness or lack thereof,” he said.
The deputy president – who has remained silent on Zuma related scandals over the past few years – suddenly found his voice after the president’s latest cabinet reshuffle, where former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy, Mcebisi Jonas were fired.
Following the move, Ramaphosa and his apparent allies, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe and ANC treasurer general Zweli Mkhize, defied the party line, by expressing their disagreement with Zuma’s actions.
It is understood that Mantashe’s support gives Ramaphosa firm footing in the Eastern Cape, while backing from Mkhize has split the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, which is a known Zuma stronghold.
According to the Mail & Guardian, Ramaphosa is gaining favour in ANC branches across the country, as members grow tired of scandal and corruption that seems to be rooted in the Zuma presidency.
Zuma, meanwhile, has said that he does not believe a deputy president should necessarily become the president, and that the country is ready for a female president. It is understood that he favours former AU chair, and his ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to succeed him.
Read: Ramaphosa gaining popularity in Zuma stronghold: report
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