Northern Ireland arms decommissioning inspector Mr Cyril Ramaphosa is being investigated for an alleged attempt to overthrow South African President Mr Thabo Mbeki. South Africa's Safety and Security Minister, Mr Steve Tshwete, named him and two others as conspirators in a dramatic television appearance.
Mr Ramaphosa was the ANC's chief representative in talks which ended the apartheid regime and his negotiating skill was an important factor in his selection with former Finnish president Mr Martti Ahtisaari as arms inspectors in the Northern Ireland peace process.
With Mr Ahtisaari he has insisted that IRA weapons examined were not obsolete and re-inspection of arms dumps showed that they had not been tampered with. These factors, he said, had convinced him of the IRA's intention to put weapons beyond use.
Part of the alleged plot, Mr Tshwete said, was a campaign to discredit the President in the eyes of ANC members. This included spreading allegations inside the ANC that Mr Mbeki was involved in the murder in 1993 of Mr Chris Hani, leader of the South African Communist Party. Like the other alleged conspirators - Mr Tokyo Sexwale and Mr Matthews Phosa - Mr Ramaphosa has concentrated on business rather than politics. Mr Sexwale, once an officer in the Soviet armed forces, is a former premier of Gauteng, the country's most populous province, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria. Mr Phosa is a former premier of the Mpumalanga region. Mr Ramaphosa denied the allegations yesterday and said he was dedicated to the unity of the ANC. Mr Sexwale and Mr Phosa strongly denied involvement in any illegal attempt to depose Mr Mbeki. Mr Sexwale's spokesman, Mr Clyde Johnson, described the allegations as "complete hogwash" while Mr Phosa said they were "not worthy of comment".
Many analysts feel the "conspiracy" may be similar to moves against the leadership within political parties in other countries, especially as Mr Mbeki has embarrassed many colleagues with his claim that HIV may not lead to AIDS.
