Never say never, Ramaphosa tells FF Plus MP

5 August 2016

Pretoria – FF Plus MP Pieter Groenewald told ANC Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa that a coalition between the two parties would not work because the ANC was a “scorpion”.

Ramaphosa, during a walkabout at the IEC’s elections result centre on Friday, stopped at the FF Plus’s table to talk to Groenewald, who had been staffing the table on and off over the past two days.

"Never say never, never, never,” Ramaphosa was overheard telling Groenewald, who in turn told Ramaphosa the tale of the tortoise and the scorpion crossing the river.

In the middle, the scorpion stung the tortoise, saying he did so because it was in his nature. They both sank.

Groenewald told News24 that the ANC was the scorpion and the FF Plus was the tortoise, whose seats might be able to help the ANC get a majority of seats in certain municipalities, helping it to govern.

Ramaphosa "said to keep the doors open, but I told him the story about the tortoise and the scorpion", Groenewald said.

Ramaphosa did a walkabout to greet various other opposition parties, but EFF leaders at the party’s table avoided looking up from their phones when he walked past their table, so he didn’t stop to talk to them.

The EFF has accused Ramaphosa of playing a role in the massacre of the Marikana miners four years ago.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.