ANC NEC members calling for Ramaphosa exit are dividing party, say supporters

JOHANNESBURG – President Cyril Ramaphosa’s supporters say that the ANC NEC members who are calling for him to step down amid allegations of corruption and money laundering are causing divisions within the party.

Pro-Ramaphosa supporters are picketing outside Nasrec in Johannesburg as the NEC deliberates over his future as party president and head of state.

Parliament’s Section 89 panel found that Ramaphosa may have a case to answer regarding the 2020 burglary at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.

Some ANC members who are siding with Ramaphosa, saying that the panel’s report had many loopholes that needed to be reviewed.

As they demonstrate outside Nasrec with placards that read “Ramaphosa we stand by you”, his supporters have told Eyewitness News that they see no reason for him to step down.

“The president didn’t do anything wrong. The president must be treated fairly, the same as other presidents,” one supporter said.

At the same time, Carl Niehaus, who is against the president’s leadership, said that Ramaphosa should respect the step-aside resolution that he had been advocating for.

“Now, he is faced with that resolution. He dug a grave and that grave, he is going to fall into himself,” Niehaus said.

Ramaphosa’s supporters have also slammed the NEC members who have publicly called for the president to go.