South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing a backlash from some ANC members who have launched a campaign to demand his resignation after this week’s G20 summit.
On November 16, 2025, South African newspapers reported that a letter was being circulated among senior ANC members in the Eastern Cape Province calling for President Ramaphosa to resign and the party’s executive committee to be dissolved.
The letter’s authors demanded that if Ramaphosa resigns, his leadership be replaced by an interim committee led by Thabo Mbeki, who led South Africa from 1999 to 2008.
ANC interim spokesperson Nonceba Mhlauli condemned the letter, explaining that the term of office of the party’s executive committee under President Ramaphosa will end in December 2027 as planned.
Nonceba said, “This Executive Committee, together with its Chairperson, was elected in December 2022, our term will end in December 2027 and will end with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s term as ANC President, when he will hand over power.”
On November 16, President Ramaphosa asked those who oppose his leadership to stop talking about a secret plan to remove him as cowards.
The Head of State indicated that if the Executive Committee asked him to resign, he would immediately comply, so if there are members of the Executive Committee who want him to resign, they should ask for it publicly. He said, “Give me a date, I will resign.”
President Ramaphosa has led the ANC since December 2017 and South Africa since February 2018. If he leaves the party leadership, it would mean that he also leaves the country’s government.
