Finance Minister and ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) member Enoch Godongwana says he has been inundated with questions about who is next in line in case President Cyril Ramaphosa is impeached through a parliamentary process, or is booted out because of pressure from his nemeses in the NEC.  

He was speaking on the sidelines of the ANC NEC meeting which was supposed to take place on Friday 2 December.

“A number of people who are in the marketplace have been phoning me and sending me SMSes. One of the key questions they have been asking is not about whether he leaves but the person who will replace him,” he said.

However Godongwana explained that a change in president would not have an adverse effect on South Africa’s economy. He made reference to the times when former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma were recalled, saying it did not have a real bearing on markets. He argues that if there was any decline at the time, it was due to other reasons.

“When you are talking about markets you are talking about different sorts of markets globally who may not understand how the ANC works. In our situation, the ANC sets up policy, so any change of president does not change that policy. I would imagine if a new president comes they would carry on with those reforms because they are not about serving personal interests but removing bottlenecks to the economy.

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“It is not the first time that a president would be removed [before their term ends]. We fired Mbeki and Zuma and there were similar fears but the economy and policy remains consistent. It did not have an impact on the macroeconomic environment,” he said.

#PhalaPhalaFarmGate ANC NEC meeting, which was abruptly adjourned on Friday after Ramaphosa no-show, has been moved to Monday at 14:00

The NWC which was scheduled to meet today to deliberate on the Phala Phala report will now take place on Sunday pic.twitter.com/ghq6ANgenm

— Thando Maeko (@HelloThando) December 3, 2022

Ray Mahlaka writes here about how the rand had taken strain after news of the President’s possible resignation. Mahlaka states that this kind of volatility in the local currency was seen in the moments leading up to the resignations of Mbeki and Zuma.

A number of names have been punted to be the caretaker president, including that of former party deputy president and chair of the electoral committee, Kgalema Motlanthe. When asked about the possibility of returning to government, Motlanthe earlier this week told the media that he was not interested. 

“If you have flames and you put ash on top of them, you douse them. We [the older generation] are ash now,” Motlanthe said on Thursday at the ANC’s headquarters.

However the Constitution dictates that when the president is absent from the country or otherwise unable to fulfill their duties, or during a vacancy in the office, there is a defined order as to who acts as president.

Deputy President David Mabuza is first in line, followed by a minister designated by the President, a minister designated by the other members of the Cabinet, or National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula who would have to occupy the position until Parliament designates one of its other members.

Also read in Daily Maverick: The Fight Is On: Ramaphosa intends to challenge the Ngcobo Panel Report

The ANC’s National Working Committee meets on Sunday afternoon to discuss the Section 89 Independent Panel Report about the burglary which took place at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm. This comes after the initial gathering was halted on Friday. 

The organisation’s Treasurer General Paul Mashatile said the meeting was adjourned because it was called without a report from the top six officials and National Working Committee, which is procedurally incorrect.

While the members gathered at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Soweto, the President was at home, a move which caught many members of the party’s top brass by surprise.

Daily Maverick understands that Ramaphosa was initially set on resigning following the scathing outcomes of the Section 89 report but made a U-turn after discussions with his legal team and close allies.

The President’s circle has been against him resigning despite the seriousness of the allegations levelled against him, and pleaded with Ramaphosa to fight instead.

Ramaphosa is now seriously considering taking the panel report on review. 

Please sign this petition and forward extensively “President Ramaphosa please don’t resign we still need you, ANC NEC protect our president.” https://t.co/TCtbSNZwkd

— Bram Hanekom (@bram_hanekom) December 2, 2022

ANC Western Cape member Bram Hanekom took it a step further on Saturday by starting an online petition titled “Ramaphosa don’t resign, we need you” which had 11,296 signatures by 11:30am on Sunday 4 December. 

The introduction to the petition reads: “We know that you have done incredible work in reducing corruption, trying to stabilise the economy, attracting investments and in strengthening institutions. We know you have been under attack by Arthur Fraser and a group of people implicated in the State Capture report. We are aware of the agenda that they have and we cannot allow you to fail against them.  

“We know there is a panel report that says you may have a case to answer, this is not a charge and it is not a conviction. We urge you to seek a review of it as there are weaknesses and many questions about the report.” DM