Mbeki: ‘If reports are true, Ramaphosa is correct to offer his resignation’

Former ANC president Thabo Mbeki says President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken the “correct” position if reports that he has offered to vacate office are true.

On Monday, Mbeki was a guest on Mbuyiseni Ndlozi’s podcast, African Renaissance Podcast, and discussed a range of topics including US-SA relations and the dismal ANC election results.

The party went from 45.59% in 2021 to 30.76% in 2026, in what ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has described as a “catastrophe”.

Sources reportedly told the* Sunday Times *this past weekend that Ramaphosa had offered to vacate office over the decline of ANC support.

However, Mbalula has dismissed the rumours.

“Leadership is elected for a full term. And in this term, we have had our own ups and downs, in particular, the last election and this election. It requires deep reflection by the leadership of the ANC.

“The president is not going anywhere, and there are no such considerations in the ANC of the president stepping down,” he said.

Ramaphosa also denied the reports.

“I don’t know where these rumours come from. I mean, who came up with a rumour like that?”

Mbeki on Ramaphosa and ANC top 7

Responding to a question about the possibility of the ANC top 7 renewal and whether they should take responsibility for the decline, Mbeki said it would be the “correct” thing to do.

“That’s an important question, and I think, in fact, that question needs to be posed to the top seven themselves. What’s your view of yourselves? I saw something as a report. I didn’t see it; somebody told me. It was actually reported also in the electronic media that there’s an article in the Sunday Times which says that President Ramaphosa offered to resign as a consequence of the outcome.

“And when I saw that, I said, I think he’s taking the correct position. Because normally, in all of these democratic countries where you have a major disaster like that, the leaders resign. They take responsibility.

“We are at fault for this, what Malula called a catastrophe. How do you continue to lead if you are responsible for a catastrophe? So I thought what is being reported about is correct; what President Ramaphosa’s position is, I think, is correct. And maybe the rest of the leadership should take the same position.”

‘Negativity’

Mbeki further reflected on Ramaphosa’s Presidency since his election and said there has been “a lot” of negativity since 2017.

“The economy goes down, levels of unemployment increase, levels of poverty increase, levels of violence and crime in the society increase, ANC loses massive support in terms of the people.

“Nothing positive happens. Isn’t it time for the top seven to say, like President Ramaphosa seems to be saying, we can’t continue to lead, having produced this negative outcome of this kind,” said Mbeki.

“Maybe that’s what they should say. I’m not saying they must, but maybe they should say that.

” I think the leadership, the leadership, we as the leadership of the ANC must be brave enough to take responsibility for what we have done and not done. I’m part of the leadership of the ANC. I’m a member of the National Executive Committee of the ANC. We have to take responsibility for what has happened, including that top seven.”