Ramaphosa Refuses to Step Aside as ANC Faces Serious Coalition Battle After Election Chaos

President Cyril Ramaphosa has received strong backing from the African National Congress (ANC) leadership despite growing criticism over the party’s disappointing election performance and declining political influence.

ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu has dismissed suggestions that Ramaphosa could be pressured into stepping down, insisting that the party’s leadership remains fully behind the president.

“The president is going nowhere. There is no pressure on the part of this leadership for the president to leave,” Bhengu declared.

She also defended Ramaphosa’s role during the election campaign, describing his contribution as excellent despite the ANC’s disappointing results.

The statement comes at a difficult time for the governing party, which has suffered a significant decline in electoral support and faces increasing challenges in maintaining control of several municipalities. The election outcome has forced the ANC to negotiate with opposition parties to secure governing majorities, highlighting how much its political dominance has weakened.

Former president Thabo Mbeki has also raised concerns about the organisation’s direction, adding to growing questions about leadership accountability, internal renewal and the reasons behind the party’s declining popularity.

However, the ANC leadership appears determined to prevent the election setback from immediately developing into a battle over Ramaphosa’s presidency.

Instead, the party is focusing on coalition negotiations, with the Democratic Alliance emerging as an important player. The DA has reportedly proposed a grand coalition arrangement that could reshape political leadership in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay.

Under the proposal, the party that receives the highest number of votes in each municipality would lead its administration, potentially allowing the DA to secure mayoral positions previously controlled by the ANC.

The negotiations could also involve the EFF, MK Party, ActionSA and Patriotic Alliance, depending on the political circumstances in individual municipalities.

For the ANC, accepting the DA’s proposal could mean surrendering important mayoral positions, while rejecting it could make forming stable administrations more difficult.

Although Ramaphosa currently enjoys the public support of the ANC leadership, questions about the party’s electoral decline and political future are unlikely to disappear.

https://x.com/zanewsflash/status/2121206108555719055?s=46

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