Ministers with “smallanyana” skeletons are drumming up support for President Cyril Ramaphosa not to resign because they are afraid of going to jail or their shenanigans being exposed once he is gone.
According to the Sunday Independent, four sources confirmed to the publication that Ramaphosa opted to resign on Wednesday night, after the Independent Panel report went viral, “for his own integrity and to save the country as well as the party from further embarrassment” from the Phala Phala scandal.
But “some ministers, who have portrayed themselves as champions of anti-corruption” lobbied him to stay because they have skeletons in their closets.
A source close to Ramaphosa said the president spent Wednesday night in Cape Town telling his allies that he is going to announce his resignation to the nation the following day.
The source said the president told them that he was resigning for his own integrity and to save the country as well as the ANC from further embarrassment.
“The president was genuine that he was resigning and not testing the waters,” the source said.
But not everyone was on board with that decision.
Another source said that one minister in particular, “was sort of blackmailing the president” to stay put.
“It appears that the president was recently given damning files about corruption involving certain ministers and he has already confronted them with the allegations and they were preparing fightback strategies behind the scenes.”
A fourth source added that Ramaphosa indicated that he didn’t want the Phala Phala scandal to end his political career, but wanted to resign and fight the case from outside.
However, some of his Cabinet ministers had, “out of self-preservation,” fiercely lobbied him to stay put, said an ANC insider.
If he was to resign, his Cabinet members should also follow suit, the person said.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za