By: Natasha Archary
Cyril Ramaphosa has for the first time since the May 2024 elections, spoken about the African National Congress (ANC) losing power and his plans for the future, when he is no longer President.
In an interview with Annika Larsen on eNCA titled 29 Days in June, Ramaphosa expressed what a shock it was to learn that for the first time since acquiring power in 1994, the ANC did not retain a 50% majority vote and secure a unanimous victory in the elections.
Ramaphosa said even the entry of Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, he did not anticipate the ANC would fail to secure the vote.
“Yes, it was a shock. It was the most unbelievable outcome, even with the entry of the MK Party, I knew they would pick up votes, but never to this extent where they would reduce the ANC’s majority in the way they did.
So, it was a big shocker, unexpected but it was a surreal moment and we had to accept that this is the new reality that we have to deal with.
When we went below 50%, it behoved on us as the ANC, to rise to the occasion and give leadership. We had to ask ourselves many questions, do we go into opposition? And we discounted that and said no, the ANC has to give leadership even when it was not in government it gave leadership through the Freedom Charter, the African claims in the 40s, so leadership is what the ANC is expected to give.”
Despite several key players coming forward to suggest a coalition, Ramaphosa said he didn’t want to believe the surveys that predicted the ANC would not retain a 50% majority.
Forming a coalition government was not something Ramaphosa wanted for the country and this is how the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) came to be.
When asked if he was concerned about being voted out at the next ANC conference, Ramaphosa said he was not concerned, saying this often happens in politics and shared that he will not, in fact, be standing as a candidate for President again.
“I’m not concerned with being voted out. At the next ANC conference, I’m not standing as a candidate for the position of President. I would have served my full 2 terms, and I go into the sunset and go enjoy my grandchildren, and spend my days vegetable and cattle farming.
Will the GNU survive beyond me? Yes. The GNU does not revolve around a personality. The GNU brings together political parties, institutions and what we’ve put together is a system and structure that is meant to work for the people of South Africa.”
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