VIDEO: Chaos as man tries to storm stage while President Ramaphosa addresses ANC branches in North West

Chaos erupted when an unidentified man ran into the auditorium and tried to storm the stage where President Cyril Ramaphosa was sitting in the Mmabatho Convention Centre, in the North West, on Saturday.

The man was quickly manhandled by the presidential protection unit and removed from the venue.

Screams of “tshwara motho o” (grab that person) could be heard in the auditorium.

North West provincial chairperson Nono Maloyi claimed the man was mentally challenged.

Watch:

ANC branches raise grievances

The top seven of the ANC and the National Working Committee (NWC) are in the North West to try and resolve some of the grievances raised by branches in the province.

Some branch members have raised concerns about poor service delivery because the municipalities are broke.

They have also accused ANC councillors of working with opposition parties where the ANC is in a coalition.

They accused the councillors of furthering agendas of their coalition partners rather than those of the ANC.

Some of them have also accused ANC members coming late to council sittings, not submitting sticking notes, and deviating from the mandate of the party in council.

Ramaphosa will later address the branches after the grievances are submitted.

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ANC members’ court bid dismissed

On Wednesday, the North West High Court in Mahikeng rejected a bid by disgruntled ANC members to overturn last year’s provincial elective conference.

In October last year, ANC members in the province lodged a legal challenge after alleging that they had been removed from the first and second leg of the conference, and that delegates who were not on the list had been substituted in their place.

Nono Maloyi was elected as the party’s provincial chair at the conference.

The members, however, wanted the high court to declare the 9th ANC provincial conference unlawful and to invalidate all the decisions taken at the conference.

One of the applicants, Sello Molefe, accused ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile, who was the governing party’s acting secretary-general at the time, of perjury, fraud, and forgery.

Molefe alleged that Mashatile misled the North West High Court in Mahikeng when he submitted an alleged falsified affidavit to justify the reappointment of the then North West interim provincial committee (IPC) after its term had expired.

President Ramaphosa says no to official provincial funeral request for slain rapper AKA

New Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa and requested permission to give slain rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes a state funeral. On Thursday, Lesufi revealed his request was denied.

Lesufi told reporters that his letter to the presidency did not ask for permission to use state funds for AKA’s funeral. Instead, the Gauteng provincial government wanted to honour the late musician by draping his coffin with the nation’s flag and flying flags in the province at half-mast.

We felt that the person of his international stature, person of his national structure, there must be some form of honour, and we want to clarify it is not a financial contribution…” said Lesufi. “Even though we didn’t succeed on that front, we will continue in making a hero safe.

JUST IN: AKA will not be getting a state-assisted funeral.

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi says they didn't succeed in getting the President to declare a Provincial Official Funeral for slain rapper #AKA but will continue supporting the family. @Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/6vurK7KAbJ

— Linda Mnisi (@LindA_MniSii) February 16, 2023

AKA and his friend Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane were gunned down outside a restaurant on Florida Road, Durban, on Friday night. The funeral will be held on 18 February.

ActionSA to consider legal action against President Ramaphosa’s draconian state

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of centralizing power in his office, following the announcement of yet another appointment in the Presidency to deal with electricity blackouts.

“He is trying to consolidate all the powers – intelligence, small business – and now he has announced a minister of electricity.

“Millions of our people are unemployed and he creates another department that is not going to add value. We will be talking to our legal team tomorrow morning to challenge these draconian and irrational decisions before it’s too late.

“We do not want to see another Zimbabwe emerging while we sit and do nothing about it,” he said.

Ramaphosa said the new minister of electricity will be based in the Presidency at the Union Buildings.

‘No need for new ministry’

Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) president Velenkosini Hlabisa described Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) as “long-winding, with new promises but no action plan.”

“What is clear though is that he passed a vote of no confidence in [Mineral Resources and Enegry] Minister Mantashe and Gordhan [Public Enterprises].

“But we do not need a new minister of electricity because tomorrow we will have a new ministry for potholes, for pit toilets…we don’t need that. We should not create more ministries causing more expenditure. Use what you have to fix the problem,” said Hlabisa.

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald slammed the creation of a new ministry, saying Ramaphosa didn’t say anything new in his speech.

“It appears he took the last six Sona speeches and cut and paste them to come up with another speech. Nothing has improved for Eskom since he took over as President, in fact, it has gotten worse.

“And how many times must we hear about plans to create jobs when that never happens? The unemployment rate keeps rising every year.”

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For United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa, Ramaphosa just keeps raising hope but has no team to implement any of his ideas.

“What will that new minister be doing really? I would have felt better if he appointed someone at the level of director-general who is a qualified engineer to coordinate all those things from his office.

“We already have two ministers responsible for energy in this country. This is a luxury we cannot afford.”

President Ramaphosa confident of successfully interdicting Jacob Zuma private prosecution

President Cyril Ramaphosa insists that the requirements to interdict the private prosecution against him have been met and that his prospects of success are overwhelming.

The president has applied for an urgent interdict against his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, who has privately prosecuted Ramaphosa.

Zuma has accused Ramaphosa of being an accessory after the fact in his case against State prosecutor Billy Downer and journalist, Karyn Maughan.

The former statesman has accused the two of allegedly leaking his confidential medical information during his arms deal trial.

In his answering affidavit, President Ramaphosa argued that once he is forced to appear before a criminal court next week, on account of what he calls unlawful summons, his constitutional right of freedom of movement will be irreparably violated.

He said that the Johannesburg High Court will have sanctioned an unlawful and unconstitutional exercise of statutory powers.

The president is still challenging the validity of the nolle prosequi certificate in relation to himself.

Meanwhile, the Johannesburg High Court on Tuesday decided to escalate the matter to appear before a full bench, physically, in court on Thursday.

The outcome of that sitting will determine whether Ramaphosa has his day in the dock next week.

President Ramaphosa to address the nation amid Phala Phala saga

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation “fairly soon” amid pressure for him to step aside or resign from office following the release of the Phala Phala report.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed the news in an interview with Radio 702, where he said Ramaphosa would provide clarity on a way forward.

Parliament’s Section 89 panel on Wednesday night released its report into the theft of $580 000 at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo.

The report found that the president, who has maintained his innocence, may have committed serious violations of the constitution and anti-corruption laws.

Therefore, the panel, chaired by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, concluded that he has a prima facie case to answer.

The National Assembly is set to consider and deliberate on the Phala Phala report next Tuesday, 6 December.

Vincent Magwenya: I am hoping that in the next hour or so we will be able to provide some direction in terms of an imminent announcement that the President will be making. I don't want to speculate what his decision will be. A further announcement will be made.

— Mandy Wiener (@MandyWiener) December 1, 2022

JUST IN : Presidency Spokes Vincent Mangwenya tells @MandyWiener on @Radio702 that the president will be making a national address soon. “We are preparing for an announcement as presidency. It will be in a form of a national address. It will be fairly soon”#PhalaPhala

— Clement Manyathela (@TheRealClementM) December 1, 2022

Ramaphosa resigning?

Ramaphosa is reportedly not opposed to vacating his office, having met with his advisors and allies at his office in Cape Town on Thursday.

With ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) set to meet later in the day, Ramaphosa is expected to decide on a course of action before the sitting.

“He will not wait for the NEC to determine his fate,” an ANC leader told a local publication.

According to Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, Ramaphosa was doing well despite calls for his head from the opposition.

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Addressing the media on Thursday, during a post-Cabinet briefing in Pretoria, Gungubele defended Ramaphosa, saying the president had never broken any laws of the country and “he has demonstrated [this] all his life”.

The minister also said the preliminary evidence found by the panel did not mean that Ramaphosa was found guilty of any wrongdoing.

Parliament dissolution

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced that it will table a motion in Parliament for a vote on the dissolution of the government, which may result in an early election.

“I will table this motion in the National Assembly, and I will call on all members of the House, regardless of party or affiliation, to support it so that we can urgently close this chapter of corruption and get back to dealing with our country’s many challenges,” said DA leader John Steenhuisen in a media briefing on Thursday.

Steenhuisen said it was “clear and unambiguous that President Ramaphosa most likely did breach several constitutional provisions and had a case to answer”, adding that the ANC must not determine who becomes president.

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“The truth is that there always has been only one ANC. And now that the fog has cleared, South Africans can finally see how simple their choices are going forward,” he continued.

“If President Ramaphosa is recalled now, we’ll end up with a corrupt President Mabuza. If President Ramaphosa survives until their elective conference but is defeated then, we could end up with a corrupt President Mkhize.

“And if President Ramaphosa somehow triumphs at the conference we’re stuck with a corrupt President Ramaphosa.”

"The truth is that there always has been, only one ANC. And now that the fog has cleared, South Africans can finally see how simple their choices are going forward." – @jsteenhuisen #PhalaPhalaFarmGate

— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) December 1, 2022

President Ramaphosa to open Green Hydrogen Summit

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the keynote address at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium in South Africa.

It’s focusing exclusively on Green Hydrogen.

South Africa is one of the founding members of the Africa Green Hydrogen Alliance.

The conference will be addressed by experts from across the continent and Europe.

Green hydrogen was identified as a “Big Frontier” in the Country Investment Strategy, indicating it represents current and future growth and investment potential for South Africa.

The power source could also be one of the solutions to the country’s energy crisis.

President Ramaphosa: Elect leaders you trust

With just weeks to go before the ANC’s National Elective Conference, President Cyril Ramaphosa is calling on party members to choose leaders who will work for the people.

He was speaking during the Letsema campaign in the embattled Ditsobotla Municipality.

The Municipality was dissolved earlier this year due to service delivery failures and an unstable council.

Ramaphosa has promised residents the ANC will fix the mess in the Municipality.

North West’s Ditsobotla community wants President Ramaphosa to bring stability & service delivery

Residents of the embattled Ditsobotla local municipality in the North West want President Cyril Ramaphosa to bring stability in the area.

Ramaphosa will on Saturday visit the municipality as part of the Letsema campaign – where he will be doing door-to-door campaigning and also holding a rally.

? Sila! pic.twitter.com/vHC1j8RRr0

— ATHI GELEBA ?? (@AthiGeleba) November 26, 2022

The community said it still has faith in the African National Congress (ANC) despite its council being dissolved and service delivery at an all-time low.

Hundreds of ANC supporters have come out in anticipation of Ramaphosa’s visit to the area.

Ramaphosa is also the province’s presidential candidate. Out of the 276 branches in the North West, 207 nominated him for president.

Local resident Tiny Kgamanyane said the community just wants public infrastructure and service delivery.

“We’re hoping Ituseng will be transformed. We will see better services and change,” said Kgamanyane.

Bi-elections in Ditsobotla are expected to take place next week.

The ANC won the municipality by 51 percent during the last local government elections.

President Ramaphosa plans to charm Britain into lifting Zimbabwean sanctions

When President Cyril Ramaphosa meets newly appointed UK prime minister Rishi Sunak this week, he will try to persuade him to have the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe lifted.

This is according to Ramaphosa’s special adviser on international relations Maropene Ramokgopa, who told TimesLIVE Premium Zimbabwe’s general elections in 2023 will form part of the agenda during a meeting between the two leaders on the much-anticipated historic state visit in London.

“They are affecting SA in a very difficult way. The reason there is a lot of migration from Zimbabwe is because people are running away from economic hardships. It’s not because they want to leave home, and the sanctions are not assisting in any way. So we’d like them to look at it differently,” she said.

SA is the first country invited to a state visit in the reign of King Charles III since the death his mother Queen Elizabeth in September.

Bilateral talks, which will take centre stage during the visit, will also focus on climate change, with SA aiming to sell its just energy transition plan to the Brits.

The trade between the two countries is worth £10.7bn (R219bn) annually and accounts for more than 30% of the UK’s trade with the entire continent.

The total UK-SA direct investment is worth £19.4bn (R398bn) with UK companies the largest investors in SA renewables.

Ramokgopa said Ramaphosa hopes the UK will assist with humanitarian aid in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, where SA troops have been battling insurgency since October 2021.

The trip comes at a time when both countries face economic and political challenges, but Ramakgopa says domestic issues in the UK and SA will not overshadow the visit.

“Even though they have changed their prime minister it’s still the same political party and not a major change in terms of strategy. It’s more about approach and we don’t think that this has destabilised the UK a lot.”

Given the ongoing conflict between the Ukraine and Russia, Ramakgopa said it’s important to address the energy question.

“This is one of the things that we believe that Britain will want to talk to us about. So I don’t think domestic issues will affect the visit, especially sinc

Domestically there is increasing criticism that Ramaphosa’s presidency has shifted to focus more on international relations than to local. Ramakgopa says she doesn’t believe the visit will worsen the perception.

“The president is not going away for a holiday. The president is going away to deal precisely with the challenges the country is struggling with. The joblessness is the reason we go out there to look for investments.

“He [Ramaphosa] is not an engineer who can go to Eskom and fix Eskom but he has to go out to look for mechanisms that will strengthen Eskom and our energy issues. Remember that it’s our national interests that are driving our foreign relations with other countries.”

British high commissioner Antony Phillipson told TimesLIVE Premium that the UK is ready to roll out the red carpet for Ramaphosa.

“This will be the fourth state visit since 1994, and there are very few countries who’ve had four state visits in the same period. So I think that’s certainly a measure of the relationship,” said Phillipson.

President Ramaphosa to Free State community: We’re stopping the stealing of money

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured residents of Matjhabeng in the Free State that the party is rooting out corruption in their municipality.

The party president made the remarks during a Letsema campaign he led in the province on Saturday.

Ramaphosa said the campaign aims to strengthen the ruling party’s connection with the people and renew its social contract with residents across communities in the country.

He has previously led similar campaigns in the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga.

The ANC president promised residents of Matjhabeng that corruption will no longer hamper service delivery.

“We are stopping the stealing of money. There will be enough money to make sure that there is proper service delivery right here in Matjhabeng.”

“We are going to make sure we clean up our municipalities, the premier is committed, the mayor is committed and at the national government level, we are committed. We want to ensure that there is proper service delivery,” said Ramaphosa.

@MyANC President @cyrilramaphosa arriving for a briefing @Letsema campaign now underway in Matjhabeng – Free State Province. pic.twitter.com/nMhJRr4WgI

— African National Congress (@MYANC) October 8, 2022