Everybody wants to be the president of the ANC
Durban — As the ANC’s 55th elective conference in December draws nearer, it appears that more and more contenders are throwing their hats in the ring with the hope of becoming the ruling party’s next president.
Some political analysts have described some of these ANC members who want to be the party’s president as being driven by personal interest rather than public interest.
University of Zululand deputy vice-chancellor Professor Sipho Seepe and senior lecturer at the University of Limpopo, Dr Metjie Makgoba were reacting to the emergence of six party members who are said to be secretly campaigning to unseat incumbent president Cyril Ramaphosa at the party’s 55th elective conference, which is expected to take place in December at a venue yet to be determined.
Ramaphosa is currently under fire and his position has been weakened even further by calls for him to step down due to the ailing economy, high fuel and electricity prices and the damning Phala Phala farm scandal, where millions of dollars stuffed in couches and mattresses were stolen from his farmhouse on his game farm in February 2020.
Although some of the contenders for the “ANC crown” have not publicly confirmed their availability to contest the position, it is however widely known that National Executive Committee (NEC) member and Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, Paul Mashatile, who is also an NEC member, Ramaphosa, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who serves as Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, NEC member Dr Zweli Mkhize as well as Deputy President David Mabuza and Duduzane Zuma, a businessman and former president Jacob Zuma’s son, all have ambitions of ascending to the highest office of the party.
Seepe said their ambitions should not be construed as undermining the collectivism which the party was known for, saying there was nothing wrong with contesting for power as it was a democratic right, but adding they were driven by personal ambition rather than public interest.
“You know being a president of the party or of a country comes with a lot of personal benefits so people harbour personal ambitions rather than being pushed by public interest,” said Seepe.
He said, however, they could not be faulted for that and be labelled as people who do not believe in collectivism, because their argument would be that people vote for party policies and party policies came as a result of collectivism.
On the issue of KwaZulu-Natal where Dlamini Zuma and Mkhize have shown their interest in the position, Seepe said Mkhize stood a better chance of obtaining the post than Dlamini Zuma, arguing that the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister had had a better chance, and support in 2017 to unseat Ramaphosa than she now had.
He said both Mkhize and Dlamini Zuma had formidable Struggle credentials and in government, saying Mkhize had started his campaign much earlier and therefore had a head-start, which gave him an advantage.
Seepe said another positive factor for Mkhize was that he was no longer in government, which gave him another advantage.
“He approaches the task with all fours while Dlamini Zuma on the other hand will still be saddled with government responsibilities. She was a formidable contender in 2017 and whether she will be able to amass the same level of support in this coming conference is still to be determined,” said Seepe.
Furthermore, he said Dlamini Zuma faced an unfair disadvantage of having to be presented as a proxy of the former president, which was used against her in 2017 and it was likely that those opposed to her would employ the same dirty campaigning tactics.
On the issue of KwaZulu-Natal choosing between Mkhize and Dlamini Zuma, Seepe said it would also depend on the bilateral and multilateral engagement with other provinces.
Makgoba said the contest showed that Ramaphosa was in a tight corner but felt that this could work in his favour as there were many divisions within the ANC.
“We might see a repeat of 2017 where Ramaphosa wins again because of the lack of unity, but for Ramaphosa to win, he will need to double or triple the amount he used to buy the Nasrec conference.
“Ramaphosa does not have the numbers in the ANC, but he has a strong connection with business and we know his campaign will have the resources. In addition, he has the media behind him,” said Makgoba.
On the absence of young leaders raising their hands in the contest for power, Makgoba stated that ageism in politics would never end because in the ANC politics was about “personal accumulation of wealth”.
“One can never age for money, they all need money to continue living beyond their means. For them, it’s about comfort, money, and power.”
Last week rumours surfaced that former president Zuma had endorsed his ex-wife and had allegedly told some NEC members together with the provincial leadership that she must be the one to challenge Ramaphosa.
This week it also emerged via media reports that the Provincial Executive Committee of KZN had thrown its weight behind her, something that was vehemently denied by the provincial spokesperson, Mafika Mndebele.
He said the party’s position was that it would be guided by what branches said and that had not changed.
The apparent endorsement of Dlamini-Zuma by the former president was likely to face rebellion from regions, branches and traditional leaders in the province, who are known to prefer Mkhize. Several regional leaders who spoke to the Daily News on Wednesday but asked not to be named said their regional leaders would soon meet and pronounce their candidate, therefore the apparent endorsement of Dlamini Zuma would not affect them.
On Wednesday, the leadership of the ANC in the Eastern Cape expressed their support for Ramaphosa to return as the commander of the party.
A reliable source in Mabuza’s campaign said his home province of Mpumalanga was consolidating and that some of the contenders had started discussions to iron out issues concerning the slates and inclusion of certain people.
“There have been slates making rounds on social media, those slates are not final but we are certain Mabuza will emerge,” said the source.
Last year, Duduzane Zuma, the youngest member of the ANC among the contenders, revealed his ambition to be president and stated that he believed the next president of the country should be a young person.
“I think there’s a gap in youth leadership, there’s a gap in business, gatekeeping that exists… In 2024, we will go and challenge that,” Zuma said.
Daily News