NATIONAL NEWS - African National Congress (ANC) veteran Sydney Mufamadi says there’s no reason why President Jacob Zuma should continue to lead the country after the conference.
He says that Zuma will not add any value to the party beyond the gathering.
“We don’t know why he should stay for one more day after this conference. He knows too that he has nothing of value to add to what the ANC is trying to do.”
When Cyril Ramaphosa won the tight vote to become the new leader of the African National Congress on Monday after years of near-misses, his loyal supporters jumped to their feet, pumping their fists and cheering.
But as the results for other top positions emerged, the cheers quickly evaporated, as it became clear that ANC officials close to President Jacob Zuma would still control important levers of the ruling party.
Ramaphosa, who has served as South Africa’s deputy president under Zuma since 2014, narrowly defeated former cabinet minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Zuma’s ex-wife and preferred successor, in the race for the ANC’s top job.
On Tuesday supporters of Senzo Mchunu, Ramaphosa’s pick for secretary-general, disputed the vote count that saw him lose out to Magashule, a sign that Ramaphosa’s team was trying to gain greater control of the upper echelons of the ANC.
Analysts say the slim margin of Ramaphosa’s victory will help keep the ANC together but will make it difficult for Ramaphosa to pursue a pro-growth policy agenda, as the ANC faction that backed Dlamini-Zuma and puts greater emphasis on wealth redistribution will wield considerable influence.
