Cosatu has warned that it would advise President Cyril Ramaphosa to dissolve parliament if plans to oust him were true.

This comes after the Sunday Times reported at the weekend that former president Jacob Zuma, his allies including ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, former ANC North West chairperson Supra Mahumapelo, ANC Women’s League secretary-general Meokgo Matuba and ANC Youth League KwaZulu-Natal secretary Thanduxolo Sabelo, allegedly discussed a plot to unseat Ramaphosa  at the Maharani Hotel in Durban on Thursday.

Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said on Monday that the federation would discuss the alleged plan to remove Ramaphosa at its national congress in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, next week. Ntshalintshali suggested that there were plans to use Ramaphosa as the face of the ANC’s election campaign and then remove him after the general elections next year.

“I think we are going to debate it in the congress. If there are plans to remove him, we will advise him to dissolve parliament. People can’t come through the back door,” he said.

Ntshalintshali said that if some ANC leaders want to be presidents, they must win in a proper conference. Cosatu supported Ramaphosa in his bid to become ANC president at the party's national conference last year.