We are handling Zuma’s exit. It’s a delicate matter – Ramaphosa

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has once again hinted that president Jacob Zuma will not finish his term in office, but obfuscated details of when that would happen.

Ramaphosa is currently attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he spoke to Bloomberg.

In the interview with Bloomberg, Ramaphosa said the transition from Zuma to himself as leader was a “very delicate matter that should be treated very carefully”.

“We are in a transitional process or period right now; we are discussing this matter – there are quite a number of commentators, a number of members of the ANC, a number of other leaders in the country who say he must leave right now. 

“But we have taken the view that this is a very, very delicate matter.”

Ramaphosa said he did not want to end up in a war with Zuma

“We should never find the two centres [of ANC and government] at loggerheads and at war with each other, so we decided that we will set up a protocol which will lead to us discussing matters properly, matters of government, matters of ANC, so that we have a smooth transition and that’s precisely what we are doing.”

He reiterated his view that Zuma should not be humiliated while his exit is being handled.

“What we don’t want to see is the humiliation of a person who’s a head of state. What we don’t want to see is him being treated with disrespect, but in the course of all this we’re winning his cooperation in as far as managing this transition. 

“So we will manage it so well that it does not divide the nation and we’ll manage it in the interest of the people of South Africa.”

Ramaphosa said he was surprised that Zuma took a court decision that he should institute a commission of inquiry into state capture and consult with the chief justice on naming its head, on appeal.

“I had to go and inform him that the ANC conference had actually taken a decision that he should not appeal that decision of the court. We discussed it and then after that meeting, he then went ahead and set up the commission of inquiry into state capital.” 

“He did, however, say that he would want to appeal on a legal matter, just to clarify who has the final authority of appointing commissions. So it’s another matter which does not change anything.”

On Thursday, Zuma announced the terms of reference of the commission of inquiry, which will be chaired by Constitutional Court judge Ray Zondo. They were largely in line with the Public Protector’s report on state capture.