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ANC Firmly Rejects Claims of a Secret Plot to Recall President Ramaphosa
Rumours swirl, the ANC pushes back
Political whispers travel fast in South Africa, especially when they involve the sitting president. This week, the ANC found itself at the centre of renewed speculation after a Sunday World report suggested that two deputy ministers were quietly rallying support to push President Cyril Ramaphosa out of both party and state leadership.
According to the report, Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Mondli Gungubele and Deputy Minister of Health Joe Phaahla were allegedly driving an internal effort to challenge Ramaphosa from within the ANC’s national executive committee. It sounded like the opening scene of a high-stakes political thriller, and it spread across social platforms before lunchtime.
But the ANC was quick to pour cold water on the claims.
ANC says there is no plot and no crisis
Party spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu described the allegations as nothing more than a manufactured drama aimed at sowing division. She framed the rumours as a distraction from the party’s focus on renewal, unity, and more accountable governance.
She insisted that the ANC remain guided by discipline, collective leadership, and democratic centralism under Ramaphosa. The party dismissed the claims as gossip that has no ability to derail the organisation’s work.
Youth League stands firmly behind the president
The ANC Youth League did not hesitate to defend Ramaphosa. Secretary General Mntuwoxolo Ngudle rejected what he called malicious attempts to paint the president as under threat from within his own ranks. He insisted that the Youth League continue to hold full confidence in Ramaphosa’s leadership.
Ngudle pointed to examples of progress that the Youth League believes reflect Ramaphosa’s impact. South African Airways has reported profits for the first time in decades after years of financial collapse. Eskom, often held up as a symbol of state failure, has shown notable improvement in stabilising energy supply. These gains, he argued, demonstrate the president’s commitment to repairing state institutions and restoring capacity.
Where the rumours found traction
The talk of a recall did not appear out of nowhere. Two weeks ago, during an NEC meeting in Germiston, the political temperature rose after Ramaphosa reportedly challenged some members directly. According to initial accounts, he told those discussing his removal privately to stop operating in dark corners and to give him a date and time if they wanted him gone.
The ANC has since denied that these words were ever spoken. Yet the initial reporting was enough to spark speculation that a faction might be preparing to test its strength at the party’s upcoming National General Council.
Officially, Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has stated that the gathering will focus on policy and strategy. However, some within political circles note that the ANC constitution does allow for leadership changes at this level, even if the party refuses to entertain the topic publicly.
A party trying to hold the centre
These moments reveal how fragile unity can feel inside a governing party carrying decades of internal battles. South Africans are used to factional storms swirling around the ANC, especially whenever leadership contests loom in the distance. For now, the official stance is clear. There is no plot, the president is not under threat, and the organisation insists it is moving with a unified purpose.
Whether the rumours fade or flare up again will depend on what happens at the NGC and how many within the party are willing to publicly challenge the narrative of unity.
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Source: The Citizen
Featured Image: News24
