By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Cyril Ramaphosa threatened to resign as deputy president in the aftermath of then president Jacob Zuma’s shock decision to elevate ANC backbencher Des van Rooyen to finance minister at the expense of Nhlanhla Nene.
This was one of Ramaphosa’s revelations during his testimony before the State Capture Commission on Wednesday.
Ramaphosa served as Zuma’s deputy for four years from 2014 before succeeding him in February 2018.
He said he was very concerned about the market reaction to this decision by former president Zuma. He told ANC deputy secretary-general, Jessie Duarte, that he would resign.
Ramaphosa detailed how the ANC swayed Zuma to remove Van Rooyen and replace him with Pravin Gordhan.
Zuma gave into those calls and Van Rooyen was removed after a few days in office.
Ramaphosa also distanced himself from the removal of Gordhan as finance minister in 2017 and his replacement with Malusi Gigaba.
He maintained that he had four options before him; resign; speak out; acquiesce and abet; keep quiet and remain silent, or remain and resist.
The president said he chose to remain and resist but to work with others in the executive to resist abuses and bring about change where we could and to sustain the work of social and economic transformation.
He maintained a degree of ignorance,saying he had only met the Guptas on a handful of occasions and thought them to be friends of Zuma.
It is Ramaphosa’s second appearance before the panel. During his first testimony in April, he had evaded questions about his knowledge of the signs and depths of the malfeasance.
During his first appearance before the commission in April, Ramaphosa admitted that graft had taken root within the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which has governed the nation since the end of the apartheid in 1994.
The practice involved some ANC members and leaders, he said.
But “now having drawn a line in the sand we are going now to be very serious dealing with corruption,” he told the panel.
Ramaphosa defeated Zuma’s ex-wife to win the leadership position in the governing African National Congress (ANC) in 2017 then helped engineer Zuma’s removal as president.
The inquiry is a result of a 2016 investigation by former public protector Thuli Madonsela which found evidence that Zuma allowed the Guptas, a wealthy Indian migrant business family who won lucrative contracts with state companies, undue influence over the government.
Ramaphosa’s testimony is scheduled to run through Thursday, starting at 9am.