'I don't ever see him turning against the organization that made him' - Ramaphosa on Zuma
5 July 2018
President Cyril Ramaphosa does not believe that his predecessor Jacob Zuma will ever leave the ANC.
Ramaphosa was speaking to France24 television network on the sidelines of the African Union Assembly of heads of State in Mauritania.
"I have complete faith and confidence that president Zuma will remain a member of the ANC until the last day of his life in this world," Ramaphosa said.
Zuma has been linked to the formation of a new political party based in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal. He has personally dismissed the reports.
He is also facing legal woes. He has appeared before the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on corruption charges.
In addition, Zuma is bitter with the party after it asked him to resign earlier this year. Zuma has however continued to regularly attend ANC events since then.
Ramaphosa said Zuma had grown up in the ANC and would never turn against the organisation.
"He is a blue-blooded ANC member who has been in the ANC forever and a day and the ANC is in his blood. I don't ever see him turning against the organisation that made him what he is," he said.
Ramaphosa also denied speculation of another split in the governing party. Instead, he said the ANC was "uniting" ahead of the 2019 national elections after a divisive leadership contest ahead of its elective conference in December.
"The ANC is like a cat. You can throw it from top floor, it will always land on its feet. The ANC will land on its feet, it will contest elections and it will win those elections comfortably," he said.
However, Ramaphosa did not directly answer a question asking whether he regretted not speaking out while he served as Zuma's deputy or whether he would have done things differently.
"I often ask people like that what it I should have done. Should I have resigned? Would it have helped? Should I have gone to the rooftop, screamed and shouted or should I have remained inside to work within the structures and to make sure that the government holds together to bring us to the point to where we are today?"
He said Zuma had committed to acing the corruption trial, and said the matter was now in the "hands of the court."
"We are renewing government, reinstalling a sense of determination and those who have done wrong things are being dealt with," he said.
