Ramaphosa Stands Firm, Derailling ANC’s Plan to Remove Him as Succession War Erupts in the Ranks

Mpho Dube
May 14
3 min read

By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief, The Azanian

14 May 2026, Johannesburg

JOHANNESBURG – President Cyril Ramaphosa has refused to blink. And in doing so, he has blown up the ANC’s backroom plan to force him out before 2029.

In a move that has stunned both allies and detractors, Ramaphosa announced he will not resign and will take the Section 189 panel report on the Phala Phala farm theft to judicial review. That single decision has effectively halted the parliamentary impeachment process and derailed what insiders describe as a coordinated push inside the ANC to remove him in a matter of weeks.

“I will not be forced to resign by those who seek to reverse the renewal of our society, the rebuilding of our institutions and the prosecution of corruption,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation on Monday. The message was clear: he’s digging in.

For Ramaphosa’s supporters, it’s a victory that keeps the party from sliding into political wilderness. A premature exit would have left his faction exposed ahead of the 2029 term finish line. For his opponents, it’s a setback that complicates a succession contest already boiling under the surface.

Knives Out, But the Blade Missed...

The push to remove Ramaphosa had gained momentum in recent weeks. Dissatisfaction over the ANC’s continuous electoral decline under his leadership gave his detractors an opening. The Phala Phala report provided the political cover.

But Ramaphosa’s refusal to resign, coupled with his decision to challenge the report in court, has thrown that plan into disarray. With the impeachment process paused, the urgency to replace him has evaporated. For now.

The timing is critical. The ANC’s National Executive Committee was set to meet Wednesday evening in Cape Town, but Ramaphosa will not attend. His absence speaks volumes. The NEC will proceed without its president, even as the party grapples with the fallout of his decision and what it means for unity.

Ramaphosa’s decision to stay has thrown the succession race into chaos. The contest for his position is no longer theoretical. It’s live, and it’s messy.

Senior ANC figures are already positioning themselves. Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi are among those mentioned in the corridors of Luthuli House. Others are pushing for a caretaker arrangement to steady the ship.

Names being touted for a caretaker role include former caretaker president Kgalema Motlanthe and National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza. The idea: install a neutral figure to manage the transition while the party regroups. But with Ramaphosa still in place, that scenario looks less likely by the day.

What’s playing out is more than a battle over one man. It’s a fight for the soul of the ANC. On one side are those who argue Ramaphosa’s continued leadership is the only path to stability and institutional renewal.

On the other are those who believe his tenure has cost the party its electoral base and must end now.

Ramaphosa frames it as a defense of renewal and anti-corruption.

His opponents see it as clinging to power at the expense of the party’s future.

The ANC is split. The NEC meeting this week will test whether that split can be managed, or whether it will harden into open factional war.

The judicial review of the Section 189 panel report will take time. That buys Ramaphosa breathing space. But it doesn’t resolve the underlying crisis of confidence inside the ANC.

If the courts side with Ramaphosa, his position strengthens. If they don’t, the push to remove him will return with renewed force.

For now, the president is still in the building. His detractors wanted him out quickly. They miscalculated. The knives are still out. But Ramaphosa has made it clear: he’s not going anywhere without a fight.

And in the ANC, fights like this don’t end quietly. They end with a conference, a vote, and a new balance of power. That battle has already started.