Mbeki backs Ramaphosa’s reported resignation offer after ANC election defeat

Speaking on Mbuyiseni Ndlozi’s African Renaissance Podcast on Monday, Mbeki said leaders in democratic countries were expected to take responsibility for major electoral defeats.

The ANC’s national vote share dropped from 45.59% in 2021 to 30.76% in 2026, according to election figures cited in reports following the polls.

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ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula described the outcome as a “catastrophe”, reflecting the scale of the party’s electoral setback.

Asked about reports that Ramaphosa had offered to step down, Mbeki said the question of accountability should also be directed at the ANC’s top seven leaders.

“That’s an important question, and I think, in fact, that question needs to be posed to the top seven themselves. What’s your view of yourselves?” Mbeki said.

He said he had not personally read the report but had been informed about its contents.

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“I saw something as a report. I didn’t see it; somebody told me. It was actually reported also in the electronic media that there’s an article in the Sunday Times which says that President Ramaphosa offered to resign as a consequence of the outcome,” he said.

The Sunday Times first reported that Ramaphosa had raised the possibility of stepping down following the ANC’s poor electoral performance.

Mbeki said Ramaphosa would be taking the correct position if the report was accurate, linking electoral defeats to the responsibility of political leaders in a democracy.

His comments come amid growing pressure on the ANC’s national leadership to account for the party’s declining electoral support and outline steps to rebuild its voter base.

The reported resignation offer has not been independently confirmed in the information available for this report, and the Presidency’s response was not included.

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