SA Debates Ramaphosa's Offer to Resign as ANC President After Local Election Disaster

• Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly offered to step down as ANC president following the party's steep drop in the local government elections
• ANC insiders warned his departure could collapse the Government of National Unity, urging him to hold off
• South Africans online were divided, with some demanding he go further and resign as president of the country too

Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly offered to resign as ANC president after the party suffered a bruising defeat in South Africa's latest local government elections. The offer came as the party's national vote share fell sharply from 45.59% in 2021 to roughly 30.81%, a result that left senior members scrambling to respond.

Sources close to the party say Ramaphosa felt personally accountable for losing two successive elections and put two options on the table: either the entire top seven officials step down together, or he goes alone.

ANC leadership pushes back on early exit

Read also

Ramaphosa threatens to resign as ANC leader after 2026 Local Election defeat

Party insiders moved quickly to talk him out of it. The concern was clear: Ramaphosa's departure could unravel the Government of National Unity, the coalition arrangement that has kept the country's post-election governance intact. He was advised to allow the party time to reflect before making any drastic moves.

Both deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane and secretary-general Fikile Mbalula rejected the idea of a quick fall guy. Mbalula acknowledged that internal ANC polling had already predicted the 34% result, noting that the middle class had turned away and that failed local governments had cost the party dearly. He maintained that the ANC still leads the GNU and holds the state power needed to support all 257 municipalities, adding that the party would not rush into coalitions or beg for mayorships.

The results were particularly stark in KwaZulu-Natal, where Jacob Zuma's MK party pulled in roughly 34% of the vote compared to the ANC's 20.3% in the province. EFF leader Julius Malema added pressure from outside the party, urging the ANC to agree to any MK party demand to remove Ramaphosa in order to build a broader coalition.

See the TikTok post that sparked the debate:

Read also

Jacinta Zuma slams Ramaphosa as ANC drops in 2026 local government elections

Mzansi reacts to Ramaphosa's resignation reports

South Africans in the comments on @loyd8789's TikTok post had plenty to say:

@Madikizela 057 wrote:

"Just do service delivery, that's all."

@Mina Moo said:

"Only you?? Your cronies should follow."

@Peter Siphongo added:

"How about as the president of the country as well?"

@Babu_Mkhulisa noted:

"DA needs him to stay..."

@Sam Dlamini shared:

"ANC are fools, they are still thinking of Government of National Unity. We the people of RSA don't want this GNU — it is what's stopping us from voting for them because they are here now." [Translation from Zulu: "us people of RSA, we don't want this GNU"]

@Elia said:

"Whole NEC to leave."

@Kgomotso Segapu responded:

"That's lies. Ramaphosa will never resign."

More on the 2026 local government elections

• Briefly News recently reported on a KwaZulu-Natal motorist arrested for drunk driving who broke down in tears and blamed his political party’s election performance, leaving South Africans divided between sympathy and disbelief.
• Tsakane residents filmed blue-tinted tap water after five days without supply, and South Africans joked that the DA was responsible after its election win.
• The DA took the lead in Emfuleni with 41% as the vote count hit 95 percent, a dramatic shift from 2021, when the ANC led by a wide margin.

Source: Briefly News