Calls for DD Mabuza to rise to the throne mount
Deputy president David Mabuza, who hasn't appeared in public for some time, told parliament last week that calls for Ramaphosa to step down were premature.
With pressure mounting for the ANC and country president, Cyril Ramaphosa, to step aside, calls are also mounting for his deputy, David Mabuza, to ascend the throne.
The much public outcry against Ramaphosa, comes amid revelations alleging that he had covered up a robbery which allegedly happened at his Phala Phala farm.
The incident in question is said to have taken place in 2020 and the statesman allegedly lost money in foreign currency, worth R60m. Ramaphosa told a Limpopo provincial conference that he had never done anything wrong, including stealing taxpayers’ money. First to call for his removal from office were the red berets, the EFF, through its commander-in-chief, Julius Malema.
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Malema was followed by the ActionSA party leader, Herman Mashaba, who took a jab at Ramaphosa, saying that he can’t trust the country’s police.
This past Monday, the Mpumalanga ANC secretary, Muzi Chirwa, said the province was satisfied with Ramaphosa’s response surrounding the matter in question.
Chirwa was reacting to questions posed by the media during a press briefing held at the party headquarters, Che January Masilela, in Mbombela. Just before all these shenanigans hounding Ramaphosa, the former Ehlanzeni ANC regional chairperson, Michael Ngrayi Ngwenya, had claimed that Mabuza would become the country’s president.
Ngwenya made these remarks during a community meeting in Nkomazi about three weeks ago.
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Mabuza actually said that there was no need to jump the gun until law enforcement agencies had finished their investigation into the matter.
During his interaction with the military veterans in Mbombela last week, Mabuza was careful not to bring the Ramaphosa issue up, or his replacement, should he be criminally charged and asked to step aside.
The ANC is scheduled to host its 55th national conference some time in December, when the party is expected to elect new leadership. Ramaphosa is expected to stand for another term in office while Mabuza has been mum on his plans.
The party’s biggest region in Mpumalanga, Ehlanzeni, had hinted its support for Ramaphosa and surprisingly but expected, did not support Mabuza for another term in office as deputy. The region instead endorsed former youth league deputy president and current national executive member, Ronald Lamola.
