Step Down Now: Mbeki Turns Heat On Ramaphosa And Entire ANC NEC Following Election Disaster

Former president Thabo Mbeki has said Cyril Ramaphosa would be right to resign if reports that he offered to leave office after the ANC’s poor election result are accurate. Mbeki has also questioned whether the party’s senior leadership should remain in place after its latest electoral setback.

Speaking in an interview with former EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, Mbeki said leaders in democratic countries are expected to accept responsibility after a major defeat. He applied that principle to Ramaphosa and the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC), arguing that the leadership should consider stepping aside rather than continue as if the result had no consequences.

The comments follow reports that Ramaphosa offered to vacate office after the ANC’s support fell in the 2026 local government elections. That reported offer has not been confirmed. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula dismissed the resignation reports as rumours, while Ramaphosa said he did not know where they had originated.

The ANC received 30.76% of the vote in 2026, down from 45.59% in the 2021 local government elections. The figures do not support the claim that Ramaphosa personally took the party from 60% to 30%; they measure the ANC’s party vote in two local elections, rather than a change attributable to one leader alone.

Mbeki’s criticism went beyond the president’s position. He questioned whether the ANC’s broader leadership could credibly oversee a renewal process after the party’s decline, and said the NEC should also reflect on its responsibility for the outcome. His remarks amount to a call for accountability, although no collective resignation by the NEC has been announced.

The former president also raised concerns about the direction of the ANC under its current leadership, arguing that the party had experienced too few positive developments in recent years. His intervention adds to internal and public pressure on the organisation to explain its electoral losses and demonstrate how it intends to rebuild support.

Mbalula has argued against the leadership stepping down, saying that resigning after an election defeat could amount to abandoning responsibility. The contrast between his position and Mbeki’s highlights a debate within the ANC over whether accountability means leaving office or staying to manage the party’s recovery.

The dispute comes as the ANC faces a difficult political landscape after the elections. Its reduced vote share has increased the importance of coalition negotiations in municipalities and sharpened questions about its leadership and future strategy.

Mbeki’s support for Ramaphosa’s resignation is conditional: he said the president would be making the right decision if the reported offer were true. His wider appeal for the ANC leadership to take responsibility, however, places the NEC’s role under renewed scrutiny.

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