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ANC chair Gwede Mantashe has rubbished claims that a National General Council (NGC) could remove party president Cyril Ramaphosa.
Speaking to News24 at the IEC results centre in Pretoria on Thursday evening, Mantashe said Ramaphosa would remain at the helm until the ANC's next elective conference in 2022.
This after several reports claiming some in the party were gunning for an early NGC to remove Ramaphosa.
Mantashe said the NGC cannot change the decision of an elective conference, adding that it was only equipped to review policy decisions.
"No president can be removed by a national general council. The president is there. There are only two methods of removal of a president. If you go to a conference or ask for special conference and that requires an application by a majority of the provinces," he said.
A plot to remove Ramaphosa would prove even harder for his detractors with the ANC poised to win the general election, with projections also indicating the party is likely to retain Gauteng.
The ANC's constitution however states that an NGC has a right to ratify, alter or rescind any decision taken by any of the constituent bodies, units or officials of the ANC, including the evaluation of the performance of members of the NEC. It also states that an NGC may fill vacancies in the NEC, "provided that such vacancies do not exceed 50% of the executive".
EFF leader Julius Malema is credited as having given credence to the notion that the "fight back" faction of the ANC - seen to be aligned with former president Jacob Zuma and secretary-general Ace Magashule - which is unhappy with Ramaphosa's reforms and government clean-up, will attempt to remove him at the NGC in 2020.
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