Ramaphosa: I thought of quitting as Zuma’s deputy
Cyril Ramaphosa says he thought about quitting as former president Jacob Zuma's deputy when he removed Nhlanhla Nene as finance minister in late 2015.
This is what Ramaphosa told the commission of inquiry into state capture on Wednesday.
He has returned to testify before the commission.
Ramaphosa says the replacement of Nene with Des Van Rooyen had an immediate impact on the financial markets.
He met with an official in the ministry. “After having that meeting with then then director-general, who described to me in fairly graphic terms how he feared National Treasury had been captured, I also got concerned.
“I immediately contacted then and now ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte and indicated in a meeting with her this is what happened and I was now really concerned that state capture had reached this level. And I said to her I would resign my position and I believe that message was conveyed to the then president.”
Ramaphosa says he chose to stay in his position so he could try and do his bit to thwarts efforts to capture the state.
"I chose to remain in my position as deputy president, not to resign, not to acquiesce and join in, or not to be confrontational but to work with others in the executive to resist the abuses and bring about change where we could and to sustain the work of social and economic transformation.
"This meant staying in the arena with the challenges, limitations, and frustrations inherent in doing so, but it was the course of action that had the greatest likelihood of bringing state capture to and end and restoring the institutions of state and defending our democracy.”
