Phala Phala fallout: Plan allegedly afoot for Motlanthe or Mabuza to act as interim president

Former president Kgalema Motlanthe has been touted as a possible candidate to replace President Cyril Ramaphosa as an interim head of state in the wake of the damning parliamentary recommendations made in the Phala Phala independent panel report.  

ANC leaders from various factions were locked in meetings on Wednesday afternoon in an attempt to devise a plan for an internal battle expected to happen on Thursday, when the national executive committee (NEC) sits for its special meeting. 

The ANC’s national office bearers, also known as the top six, met on Wednesday afternoon in anticipation of the Phala Phala parliamentary report. 

According to insiders, Ramaphosa has indicated to those close to him that he is prepared to resign. But at least three of his lieutenants told the Mail & Guardian that he was advised against stepping down. 

Ramaphosa is said to have met his faction on Wednesday afternoon, where he presented two options: “resign or fight”. 

While those close to Ramaphosa are said to have insisted that he should not step aside, ANC leaders quickly grouped into different caucasus to plan for his possible resignation. 

According to Ramaphosa allies, there is a plan to threaten judicial review during the NEC meeting on Thursday to buy time. 

Another plan is to tell ANC leaders to allow parliament to review the recommendations. 

“We have to wait for the parliament to decide on this matter. We can’t allow the president to resign on a matter that has not even sat in parliament as yet,” a Ramaphosa ally said. 

Ramaphosa, along with Gwede Mantashe, Paul Mashatile and David Mabuza, allegedly resolved that the matter should be discussed by the NEC on Thursday afternoon. 

Mashatile sent out an advisory late on Wednesday night to NEC members that a special NEC meeting would be convened virtually to discuss the report. 

One NEC member, a Ramaphosa detractor, said ANC leaders needed to start thinking of a possible replacement for the incumbent leader. 

One of the options that NEC members are entertaining is for Deputy President David Mabuza to take over as the interim state president while the ANC prepares for its December elective conference. 

Although Mabuza is the obvious choice to replace Ramaphosa should he opt to resign, two NEC members in Ramaphosa’s faction said Motlanthe’s name has also been raised as a possible interim president. 

“He is the easiest choice. He doesn’t belong to any faction and, unlike some of us, he is not trying to get elected in December. He will appeal to most of us,” the insider said. 

Motlanthe has stated publicly that he does not believe in the recycling of party leaders. It’s understood that Motlanthe would be the best possible option for some in the Ramaphosa who are against a Mabuza presidency. 

However, those aligned to Mabuza have cited that Motlanthe heads the ANC’s electoral committee which needs to prepare for the party’s December elective conference. 

According to the South African Constitution however, the deputy president, a minister or a speaker can assume the role of acting president.

It is also alleged that Motlanthe was a name touted by former president Thabo Mbeki as a possible interim replacement for Ramaphosa should he be forced to step down. 

Mbeki has, on several occasions, cautioned Ramaphosa, saying the ANC needed to prepare for possible findings by state institutions that could go against the president. 

The M&G previously reported that Mbeki also raised this in separate meetings with top officials shortly after the death of ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte.

One insider linked to the secretary general’s office said Mbeki had allegedly called Ramaphosa and ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe and met deputy president David Mabuza and Mashatile on separate occasions to discuss the matter.  

The insider said Mbeki told the senior officials that the ANC would need to prepare for the possible ramifications of a negative finding by state agencies on Phala Phala. 

Although all officials reportedly agreed with Mbeki, sources say neither the officials, the national working committee or the NEC have tabled the matter.

The independent panel report on Phala Phala has sent shock waves through the Ramaphosa faction regarding possible impeachment proceedings. 

Although the president’s allies are said to be planning to close ranks when the NEC meets on Thursday night, insiders said there is no plan on how he could recover from the recommendations by former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, the chair of the panel investigating the Phala Phala matter. 

Ngcobo found that Ramaphosa needs to provide answers on the origin of the money that was stolen from his private game farm in 2020 and on efforts to recover it. 

“This is a very serious matter, which, if established, renders the violation of section 96 of the Constitution and Precca [Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act], a serious violation, and a serious misconduct,” the report said.

The three-person panel was appointed after an impeachment motion was tabled by African Transformation Movement leader Vuyo Zungula. The motion charged that Ramaphosa breached the law by performing paid work outside his functions of office, failing to report the burglary to the police and ordering his head of security, Wally Rhoode, to investigate the crime in a clandestine fashion.

The panel said it was satisfied that the evidence submitted to it pointed, prima facie, to a violation of section 96(2)(a) read with section 83(b) of the Constitution, which would put Ramaphosa in breach of the prohibition on performing other paid work. 

“In all the circumstances, we are satisfied that the president has a case to answer in relation to charge one.”

The panel rejected Ramaphosa’s submission that the farm was running at a loss as irrelevant and untested.

While there is talk around Motlanthe, the ANC’s constitution states that Mabuza is the person who would step in to replace Ramaphosa. It states that “the deputy president shall assist the president, deputise for him or her when necessary and carry out whatever functions that are entrusted to him or her by its national conference”. 

The ANC constitution also stipulates that in absence of the president and the deputy president, the secretary general shall assume the functions of the president.