This afternoon President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the media outside Nasrec where he told reporters that he had attended the NWC of the ANC meeting and was asked to recuse himself because of the matter on the table – the Section 89 Panel Report on Phala Phala that found he had a case to answer.
“As per our own experience, history and tradition … to enable members of the NWC to have a thorough discussion on the report without me being there so that they are free to express themselves as openly and as thoroughly as possible. Without any form of fear or favour.
“That is precisely what has happened and tomorrow I will attend the National Executive Committee (NEC). That is how things will flow and after that it is the NEC to which I am accountable to take whatever decision. That’s all I have to say today on this matter,” said a jovial Ramaphosa.
Following the release of the Section 89 Report last week, the pro-Ramaphosa lobby group went on an overdrive this weekend defending him on social media and by casting aspersions at the integrity of one of the panellists, Advocate Mahape Sello.
In a tweet, said to have been posted by former ANC stalwart Derek Hanekom whose thread is Bram Hanekom, pictures that he alleged were of “Advocate Sello” proving her support for the RET faction of the ANC because in the pictures she is sitting with former President Jacob Zuma, Advocate Dali Mpofu, Tony Yengeni and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma – were being circulated.
Hanekom’s tweets come amid accusations from a pro Ramaphosa media that Sello was “biased” because she was part of a team that represented former Free State Premier Ace Magashule’s lawyer in a 2021 case against Ramaphosa.
Next to the pictures, Hanekom posted a message saying: “The picture is getting clearer on just how independent the ‘independent panellist’ is with the string of pictures.
However, some of the respondents pointed out that in fact the woman in the picture wasn’t Sello but another lawyer who was not part of the panel.
Hanekom ended up by asking people to sign a petition saying over 8 000 people have already signed in one day with an open letter exalting the president to stay and not resign saying “South Africa still needs you and hope you heed our call”.
There was another posting from Free State University Professor Jonathan Jansen in which he said: “If the trio of honours students had written the Phala Phala report I would have failed all three and barred them from further access to higher education”.
The SACP also joined in support of Ramaphosa by casting aspersions of the Section 89 Report and questioning its credibility saying it is backing the president’s right to take the report and its findings under review.
The SACP said in a statement read by Solly Mapaila that some of the recommendations and conclusions of the report are “legally inconclusive”.
All major Sunday publications reported that following the damning report from the panel lead by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, Ramaphosa opted to resign and vacate his seat but was persuaded by some ministers including Gwede Mantashe, Pravin Gordhan, Roland Lamola, Enoch Godongwane, Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane and Northern Cape Premier Zamani Saul.
On Friday the NEC adjourned after a few minutes to allow the NWC to interrogate the report which will be presented to the NEC tomorrow morning and where Ramaphosa’s fate will be deliberated.