Are the knives out for both the ANC and DA leaders?

VS

Vicky Stark

18 November 2025 | 13:03

'The interesting thing is that President Ramaphosa said people must not discuss his exit in dark corners but he did the same thing with his henchmen with President Zuma,' says Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast of Nelson Mandela University.

Are the knives out for both the ANC and DA leaders?

FILE: President Cyril Ramaphosa responds to a question from DA leader John Steenhuisen during his question and answer session in Parliament on 5 September 2023. Picture: @PresidencyZA/X

Are recent reports on the ANC and DA leaders part of succession battles?
CapeTalk's Clarence Ford spoke to political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast of Nelson Mandela University who said "the mud is flying " after DA leader John Steenhuisen asked for Dion George to be fired from the position of environment minister. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced George's replacement in his Cabinet reshuffle earlier this month.
The move upset several environmental groups, who speculate that he was removed because he refused to appease hunting groups.
Now, in what could be viewed as a retaliatory move, a Daily Maverick article on Tuesday about Steenhuisen's alleged financial troubles quotes George in his capacity as the DA's federal finance chair.
George alleges that the party's credit card was taken away from Steenhuisen because it couldn't be reconciled. Steenhuisen admits that the card was returned but says it was his decision to do so because it was too much admin.
Breakfast said he was quite taken aback.
"Under normal circumstances, one of the strong points of the DA, the DA closes ranks very well... Unless someone has done something really wrong... But not to pull out information that belongs to the state and then display it in public because we want to destroy this person or that person."
He said it's unfortunate that this was happening ahead of next year's local government election.
"They need to function as a unified force in order for it to do well. Now the worst part of it is that, if some people feel like they've not been treated well, how are they going to campaign for the DA, post the conference?"
Ford said that because there was likely to be a leadership battle at the DA's April conference, the allegations against Steenhuisen could also be part of a succession battle.
Meanwhile, various media houses have been reporting that ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke directly to his opponents at the ANC's NEC weekend meeting.
He's believed to have said they should stop discussing his exit in dark corners like cowards and tell him to his face if they want him to resign.
"The interesting thing is that President Ramaphosa said people must not discuss his exit in dark corners but he did the same thing with his henchmen with President Zuma... because Zuma was recalled by the ANC. So, I guess what goes around comes around," says Breakfast.
Ramaphosa also reportedly said that if they asked him to resign, he would do it tomorrow.
But who will succeed him, if he goes?
Ford said that some were suggesting that Thabo Mbeki may have some kind of caretaker grouping that will reconstitute the middle of the ANC for battle at the next elections.
Breakfast said this possibility shouldn't be ruled out.
"The role played by Thabo Mbeki is... interesting. At his age, does he have unfinished business given the fact that there's this longstanding conflict with Ramaphosa?"
But should Ramaphosa go? Is the relative success of the party due to his presence, asks Ford.
"He inherited an ANC that is in tatters unfortunately. Remember, the political longevity of a liberation movement tends to be affected by corruption... the state machinery being used to dish out tenders, and so on...
"The ANC has fallen short of the romanticism of the past, the glorification of history and the preservation of tradition; those are things of the past. You are not going to tell young people now that Mr Mandela stayed on Robben Island... therefore they must vote for the ANC but you don't render services. No! You need to up your game."
Breakfast said you now have this new layer of voters, "the Gen Zs who are quite different. That's why we have this movement on the African continent, protests and so on".
To listen to Breakfasts full discussion with CapeTalk's Clarence Ford, click the media player below:
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