African Content Movement (ACM) leader Hlaudi Motsoeneng has called for the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing him of having failed in his oversight responsibility in relation to the July riots.

This follows this week's release by Ramaphosa of the report by the expert panel he appointed in August last year to review the government’s response to the July riots, which were triggered by the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma. The riots saw KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng being plagued by violence and looting.

About R50bn was wiped off SA's economy, while 354 people died during the looting and vandalism of shopping malls, factories and roads.

The panel found that the national security council led by Ramaphosa had not been sitting regularly before the unrest and described this as concerning as it said it had been “clear that there was heightened mobilisation for protests, as well as periodic outbreaks of violent protests throughout the first half of the year”.

“As the tug-of-war around the Constitutional Court case of former president Zuma unfolded, tensions kept rising, especially on the political front,” the panel said.

Motsoeneng said Ramaphosa had to take full responsibility for the identified lack of oversight by the report.

The former SABC COO-turned-politician viewed be loyal to Zuma and suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, said Ramaphosa had to include a resignation among the first actions he said he would announce when he delivers his State of the Nation Address (Sona) tomorrow.

“We fully agree with the findings of the ‘July Unrest’ report saying that there must be accountability, Ramaphosa has shot himself in the foot by appointing a commission to investigate his own performance,” Motsoeneng said.

“Before instituting the investigations, Ramaphosa knew too well that he was sleeping on the job, and all warnings were there – he simply failed to act.”

He accused Ramaphosa of not being decisive as he said he should have fired the ministers who were found wanting within the security cluster.

“Ministers would be in trouble if I was in charge. I would remove all of them.”

Motsoeneng also criticised the use of panels and commissions by the current administration as he said it reflected badly on Ramaphosa's ability to lead and take firm decisions.

“When I was at the SABC I was taking decisions whether wrong or right. This thing of using of many commissions and panels means he can’t run the country. If it was Zuma people would be up in arms,” he said.

He said Magashule had been “charged of oversight failure” and got removed from the party while Ramaphosa was not being held to account. 

However, in reality Magashule is facing charges of fraud and corruption linked to a R255m tender for an audit of asbestos roofing in the Free State.