- President Cyril Ramaphosa has rejected allegations by Paul Machattel of a conspiracy to remove him from office.
- Mchatel said he was aware of a plot to remove him as vice president by next month.
- The president said he had no plan to impeach his vice president.
President Cyril Ramaphosa confronted Vice President Paul Machattel on Sunday over the latter’s allegations of a plot to oust him from office.
Three months into his tenure as vice president, Mchatel claimed unnamed people were working to remove him by next month.
But the president, who has the power to appoint and remove his vice president, flatly rejected Mshatel’s assertion, saying there was “no truth or substance” to Mshatel’s claims.
I immediately told him, I appointed you, and I am the only one who can disappoint you. There is no thought, no plan, no idea at all that such a thing is in the works,’ said the chief.
Ramaphosa was communicating with the media on the sidelines of the ANC National Executive Committee meeting on Sunday.
City Press reported Sunday that Mshatel said the conspirators against him had set an August deadline for his deportation.
“I realized that there were people trying to prevent me from being appointed to the Union Buildings. In fact, they started planning last year at the political level. They didn’t want me to become the ANC’s vice president, but the Congress elected me.
The president said that his vice president’s views were untrue.
He said:
I also saw the report [in the] City Press, and discussed with the Vice President. I said: what is this? We will have another discussion.
Mshatel did not reveal who he believed was behind the plot to overthrow him.
This week, Ramaphosa’s key ally and advisor, Bejani Choquet, distanced himself from messages purporting to show him plotting against Machattel.
“It has come to my attention that there is a fake WhatsApp chat that has been manipulated in connection with a plot to disrupt the operations of the Vice President’s office through the media,” Shockey said.
Ramaphosa also warned against manipulated messages.
Machatel has been mired in controversy since taking over as vice president.
Read more | Mashatile is now facing two different public defender complaints about his allegedly funded lifestyle
News24 revealed Mashatile lived a life of luxury And he seems surplus, using multimillion-rand homes owned by bidders and beneficiaries of government contracts on the exclusive Atlantic Ocean in Cape Town to entertain a string of lovers and friends.
He was thrust into the limelight after security personnel were caught assaulting motorists last Sunday.
Machattel defended his relationship with Edwin Soddy, who is embroiled in corruption allegations, and Ndavi Marida, a coal supplier to Eskom, saying he had known them both for years.
Vice President Paul Machatel.
The vice president told City Press, “The narrative is that I should be ashamed of myself for mixing with people like Edwin Wandavi because the state takeover will come back through me.”
Ramaphosa said he was not aware of any allegations of crimes involving the vice president.
“I must have my head checked so that the Vice President can be appointed and then removed,” said the President.
Ramaphosa also downplayed reports that the ANC’s National President and Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwedi Mantashe had infuriated him after he refused to attend the launch of the European-funded Green Energy Initiative last month.
The Sunday Times reported that ANC Secretary-General Fikil Mbalula said the president should act against Mantashi, who maintained that he did not sign the agreement because he did not want to sign an intergovernmental agreement that he had not seen.