After the election losses, Cyril Ramaphosa raised the possibility of resigning as ANC president during discussions among the party's leaders, saying the ANC could not lose two elections in a row under him without consequences.
Claimed by: Sunday Times, citing at least five unnamed members of the ANC national executive committee
Everything reported so far traces back to one source. Unverified. We'll update this page as reporting comes in, then say whether it held up.
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Who's reporting it
- TimesLIVE (Sunday Times), 2026-11-08: At least five senior NEC members said Ramaphosa suggested stepping down, arguing the party could not absorb two successive defeats under his leadership; the ANC spokesperson said she was unaware of any such discussion. source
- Briefly News, 2026-11-08: Citing unnamed NEC members, it reports Ramaphosa floated resigning alone if the top officials would not step down together, and that one member warned his exit could destabilise the national unity government. source
History
- 2026-11-10: Single source. The account rests on unnamed sources in one newspaper's report; Briefly relays the same account. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said she was not aware of such a discussion among national officials, and no on-record confirmation from Ramaphosa was found. The report also says senior officials, including Mbalula and Deputy President Paul Mashatile, urged him not to go ahead.