CHARLES MOLELE
LIMPOPO Premier and ANC provincial chair Stanley Mathabatha has thrown the cat among the pigeons after his announcement on Saturday that his province will campaign for Cyril Ramaphosa to win a second term as ANC president, demonstrating for the first time that the contest ahead of the 2022 elective conference has officially started.
Earlier this week ahead of the January 8 Statement in Polokwane, different factions were seen engaged in ‘caucus’ meetings finalizing slates, and their preferred candidates to replace the current leadership.
Ramaphosa, his deputy David Mabuza and the national chairperson Gwede Mantashe are expected to come under fire from a grouping calling itself the “radical economic transformation” (RET) Forces.
According to a senior ANC leader who attended the party’s 110th birthday celebrations in Polokwane, RET Forces are likely to reveal their preferred leaders to contest Ramaphosa in the next two months.
Tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu and former health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize have emerged as front-runners to contest Ramaphosa for the position of ANC President in December.
Carl Niehaus, the former spokesperson of the disbanded MK Military Veterans’ Association, tweeted on Saturday that Ramaphosa will not serve a second term as ANC President.
Ramaphosa, former president Jacob Zuma’s number two from May 2014 to February 2018, made the fight against corruption a pillar of his presidency, but opposition parties have criticised him for not doing enough to stop the rot during his time as deputy.
Ramaphosa defeated COGTA Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to win the leadership position in 2017.
“I can confirm that Ramaphosa will be contested. He will be contested by Dr Zweli Mkhize and Lindiwe Sisulu. Their teams are already in discussions and waiting for the right moment to pronounce. Hopefully in February or March,” said a senior ANC leader.
Sisulu met with Dlamini-Zuma this week to discuss her plans to contest Ramaphosa at the upcoming elective conference.
A source close to the meeting said Dlamini-Zuma gave Sisulu the thumbs up to challenge Ramaphosa.
Sisulu’s candidacy as ANC president is supported by, among others, the ANC Women’s League, who’ve made it clear that they would continue to fight to have a woman elected president of the ANC.
Ramaphosa was allegedly escorted out of the Lillian Ngoyi Memorial Lecture in Polokwane after intelligence received information that ANCWL members were planning to boo and embarrass the ANC President.
“When President left the ANCWL it was because women’s league was going to boo him. Today, at the January 8 Statement, the ANCWL was not acknowledged, and was not given a chance to speak at the event,” said a provincial ANC leader close to the matter.
The provincial leader added: “Indeed. Sisulu also met with Dlamini-Zuma this week ahead of the January 6 Statement. NDZ said she doesn’t have a problem supporting Sisulu as the first female ANC president.”
Mantashe, who is at loggerheads with Ramaphosa on the just transition from coal, is touted by some as the next ANC deputy president.
Mabuza, who has already declared that he is available for a second term as the party’s deputy president, may find himself out in the cold in the upcoming elective conference for ‘dumping’ Dlamini-Zuma at the eleventh hour during the 2017 elective conference.
His own province of Mpumalanga is deeply divided on his future as deputy president, and no-one supports him anymore since he left provincial politics.
Mabuza has also fallen out with his former ally, the Premier of Mpumalanga Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane.
- Inside Politics
