The ANC national elective conference is less than three weeks away, and President Cyril Ramaphosa is sitting pretty after the release of the final list of nominees following the branch nomination process. The incumbent party president has a healthy lead over his challenger Zweli Mkhize, but the real fight is yet to begin.
Qaanitah Hunter writes about the horse-trading that will encompass the next two weeks as various party leaders and provinces try to cut deals with each other to back certain candidates when around 4,200 party delegates head to Nasrec to vote in mid-December.
One stark contrast between this elective conference and previous ones is the lack of a ‘Ramaphosa slate’ of candidates to back, writes Justice Malala. It is unclear who Ramaphosa would prefer to take up the top six leadership positions and while Paul Mashatile looks likely to be Ramaphosa’s deputy, he isn’t operating his campaign as if he’s the president’s running mate. Mashatile does align with Ramaphosa on many economic policies, though, and could serve Ramaphosa well even if the two have different political styles.
It may be too late for the ANC to elect a viable leadership core that can separate the party from the state and present stable and sustainable solutions to running South Africa. In an editorial, Business Day argues that various leaders in the party have been unable to offer a viable alternative to the inertia of ideas that has become synonymous with the party. The ANC could realistically dip below 50% at the 2024 national elections and what is noteworthy about an ANC in opposition is that the party all but disintegrates.
