Phaahla fury: ‘Plot to oust Ramaphosa is pure hogwash’

Phaahla

Cape Town – Veteran ANC politician and Deputy Health Minister Joe Phaahla has dismissed allegations that he is involved in a plot to unseat Cyril Ramaphosa as president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

The claims emerged in a weekend report by Sunday World, which named Phaahla — alongside fellow deputy minister Mondli Gungubele — as a key figure in an alleged faction seeking to remove Ramaphosa.

According to the report, Ramaphosa’s intense reaction at a recent ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting was directed at Gungubele and Phaahla, who were said to be leading the plot.

Several NEC members, speaking anonymously, claimed that although Ramaphosa did not mention the two by name, his pointed glance toward them as he declared, “I am aware of comrades in this very room lobbying for my removal because they are unhappy with their positions,” made his message unmistakable.

His response reportedly derailed a planned vote of no confidence, but the alleged plotters — said to have the backing of at least 60 of the NEC’s 80 members — were expected to make another attempt.

In a statement released on Monday, Phaahla dismissed the allegations as “utter rubbish and pure hogwash.” He added: “I reject the claims that I am plotting to oust President Cyril Ramaphosa as utter rubbish and pure hogwash. In fact, I lack the adjectives to adequately describe their absurdity.”

Phaahla said the rumours were part of a destructive effort by “desperate individuals attempting to drive a wedge between myself … and my President.”

He also invoked the legacy of former ANC leader OR Tambo, cautioning that “wedge-drivers who sow suspicion, division and mistrust within our ranks” have always posed a danger to the movement.

“Let me also state unequivocally that I have consistently supported and continue to support President Ramaphosa. My confidence in his leadership is rooted in the values I know him to have, and the renewal agenda he continues to champion…”

The denial comes at a tense moment for the ANC, internal rumours of leadership change swirl ahead of the party’s upcoming national general council (NGC) meeting. According to a report in Business Day, the snap claims come as some within the party gear up for factional battles ahead of the next elective conference in 2027.

The ANC’s spokesperson described the reports as “fabricated stories … deliberately designed to manufacture divisions where none exist.”

At the same time, party structures including the ANC Women’s League, ANC Youth League and ANC Veterans League issued public statements reaffirming their support for Ramaphosa and dismissing the plot claims as baseless, reported IOL.

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