Cape Town – When asked the question on the country's lips – what President Jacob Zuma's immediate future holds – ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa just laughed.
Ramaphosa found himself in a media-scrum as he exited Cape Town's St George's Cathedral, where he attended a service on Sunday morning with other ANC leaders.
"We leave this church well-armed with blessings and prayers from the bishop," Ramaphosa said.
"So as the leadership of the ANC, we have been well-empowered as we move ahead. We would like to thank you very much, we would like to thank the congregation for their total support as we manage this transition."
It was then that the question was asked of when there would be word on Zuma's exit.
"Thank you very much, ha-ha-ha-ha," Ramaphosa responded as he started to move across Wale Street to the Taj Hotel's side-entrance, hugging babies along the way, with his security detail in close attendance.
Shortly after 9am, with Ramaphosa's appearance imminent, two of his security detail's members removed a supposedly homeless man who delivered a sermon of a kind to the assembled journalists waiting on Ramaphosa.
Minutes later, a motorcade of at least nine cars arrived. Ramaphosa got out and briskly made his way to the church's entrance, surrounded by his guards, cameras' shutters clicking and video cameras rolling all the while.
Ramaphosa took a seat at the front bench, flanked by ANC NEC member Nomaindia Mfeketo and acting Western Cape chairperson of the ANC Khaya Magaxa.
Reverend Michael Weeder welcomed everyone to the service and mentioned Ramaphosa by name.
During his sermon Weeder would often use a colloquial Afrikaans phrase, like "hou jou bek" (shut your mouth), much to Ramaphosa's amusement.
Weeder referred to February 11, 1990, when Nelson Mandela was released and addressed a massive crowd at Cape Town's Grand Parade, where a much younger and "shy" – according to Weeder – Ramaphosa held the microphone for him.
Ramaphosa smiled and nodded his head.
"We're heading to a new beginning, new moments, new challenges to become better than we were. Let's see this past that's behind us as injury time," preached Weeder.
"And now we come back on the field and we're giving our best and are recommitted. Because we can. Because we've been in troubled times before and we did overcome."
Ramaphosa smiled and nodded his head.
Weeder spoke of the land question.
"It is unfinished business, Mr Deputy President," he said.
Again, Ramaphosa smiled and nodded his head.
After his sermon Weeder called Ramaphosa and his ANC colleagues forward to be blessed in prayer, whereafter Ramaphosa received hugs from members of the congregation and greeted some of the children.
Thereafter they participated in communion. Ramaphosa shook hands with former finance minister Trevor Manuel when the latter came forward to take communion.
