Mbeki accused Ramaphosa of making empty promises on a social compact to take the country out of the economic abyss, claiming “nothing” has happened since the address.
After Ramaphosa was officially endorsed for a second term as ANC leader for the upcoming elective conference in December, it was Mbeki who slammed the endorsement by ANC Limpopo provincial chair Stan Mathabatha as ill-disciplined, asking “what is that?”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
EFF leader Julius Malema says the Jacob Zuma-aligned ANC “RET faction” is as confused about former spy chief Arthur Fraser's intentions with the “Phala Phala offensive” against President Cyril Ramaphosa as the rest of the country.
While many think Fraser is batting for the RET forces, whose most prominent face — Zuma — appointed him as spy boss, the actual force behind the man is former president Thabo Mbeki, Malema said on Wednesday.
According to Malema, Mbeki is intent on making a comeback to lead the ANC.
He was speaking in Houghton, not far from Mbeki's home, during a multi-party briefing on steps to remove Ramaphosa from office after the Phala Phala allegations by Fraser.
“RET forces of the ANC have never in jubilation celebrated Fraser, including on these [Phala Phala] allegations. They have never declared Fraser as a hero and used Phala Phala as a way of decampaigning the president. That is why it was difficult to raise it in the policy conference of the ANC, because it was not their initiative.
“They are asking themselves whose agenda Fraser is driving. The answer is Fraser is with [former] president Mbeki in the unseating of president Ramaphosa, because Mbeki says he is still disgruntled for not finishing his term [as president].
“Fraser is actually working with Mbeki and not the RET forces.”
TimesLIVE has reached out to Mbeki's office for comment.
Mbeki has taken swipes at Ramaphosa during ANC events.
Most recently, he took to the podium at the memorial service of ANC deputy secretary-general Jesse Duarte to say Ramaphosa has failed to deliver on promises made during the state-of-the-nation address.
