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Ramaphosa was speaking at the start of a five-day gathering
during which members of the African National Congress (ANC) will
elect candidates for national elections in 2024.
But amid raucous chants of "Out, Ramaphosa, out!", he could
barely be heard, his words drowned out for several minutes
before the hecklers quietened down.
Ramaphosa is widely seen as the strongest candidate as he seeks
a second presidential term, but he faces strong opposition from
a rival ANC faction that is calling for him to quit over a
scandal involving the discovery of a stash of cash at his farm.
Ramaphosa has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with
any crimes.
"We must condemn (the disruption) because it's not the behaviour
of the ANC membership," Siboniso Duma, chairperson of the
KwaZulu-Natal provincial ANC, the single biggest power block
trying to get Ramaphosa removed.
"You can't just (make noise) when the president is speaking," he
told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, reflecting a backlash against
the heckling incident that some people said could leave the
president stronger than he looked on Friday.
The ANC's presidential candidate has been a shoe-in for the
country's top job ever since the party's leading light Nelson
Mandela ended white minority rule in 1994.
Ramaphosa's political woes have galvanised supporters of former
President Jacob Zuma, who is himself being investigated for
allegedly colluding with three Indian businessman to siphon off
state funds during his tenure between 2009 and 2018 - charges he
denies.
But some people said Friday's incident could backfire on
Ramaphosa's party foes.
"That was completely out of order. What they did yesterday
soiled (their) campaign," Zamani Saul, Northern Cape ANC
chairperson told SABC news.
(Reporting by Nqobile Dludla and Kopano Gumbi; Writing by Tim
Cocks; Editing by Helen Popper)
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