With a few days left before the ANC officially opens nomination for a new leadership, ANC treasurer and acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile has emerged as a kingmaker and a strong contender to become the deputy president of the governing party.
ANC insiders told Sunday World that Mashatile’s position as acting secretary has bolstered his ambitions of becoming the deputy to ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa.
It has emerged Mashatile’s campaigners have made it clear to Ramaphosa that they are supporting his bid for a second term and that in return the president must make Mashatile his
deputy and that he should not have a “slate”.
The nominations open on September 7 in preparation for the party’s 55th national conference in December.
This comes as it emerged there is no consensus in Ramaphosa’s faction on who should become the party’s second-in-command.
While the debate on gender and youth representation in the ANC top six officials favours national executive committee members (NEC) Ronald Lamola and Mamoloko Kubayi, it seems the race to the party’s deputy presidency could boil down to who brings support from branches.
Mashatile’s supporters have expressed their concerns that those around Ramaphosa are misleading him in the same way they did in the run-up to the 2017 elective conference in Nasrec.
While Ramaphosa wanted NEC member Naledi Pandor to be his deputy, former ANC Mpumalanga chairperson and the country’s deputy president David Mabuza amassed enough branch support to become the party’s second-most powerful leader despite not being on Ramaphosa’s slate.
A key player in Mashatile’s campaign said the ministers around Ramaphosa are leading him down the wrong road.
“We are not anti-Cyril. There are these guys who are the president’s men and women who are backing wrong people,” the leader said.
“This fight (against Mashatile) is futile. We have been running an open campaign and we are bringing numbers. The days of the politics of slates are over,” the leader added.
In February, Mashatile confirmed to Sunday World that he was available to be the next deputy president should the branches nominate him.
Since then, Mashatile has faced accusations that he has been using his position as the acting secretary to campaign for the deputy presidency.
On Tuesday, during a special meeting of the ANC NEC.Mashatile survived a bid from Ramaphosa’s supporters to force him to step down from his position in the secretariat.
His detractors, including Derek Hanekom – who was instrumental in the recall of former president Jacob Zuma – argued it is unfair for Mashatile to occupy three positions.
Mashatile’s detractors believe that though NEC member Gwen Ramokgopa is the co-ordinator of the secretariat, Mashatile calls the shots.
“Thabo (Mbeki, former president of the ANC) was misled by his ministers in Polokwane. Zuma was misled by his ministers in Nasrec. The president is now misled by his ministers. We are having Nasrec 2,” the source said.
A source in Ramaphosa’s campaign said it is a mistake to allow Mashatile to be acting secretary.
“We told these elders that they should not allow that. You can’t trust Paul,” the NEC member said.
A lobbyist in the Eastern Cape said there is another campaign to push for the party’s provincial chairperson, Oscar Mabuyane, to become Ramaphosa’s deputy.
However, there is another strong view that it should not be assumed that those close to Ramaphosa should form a slate.
“My concern is that we are not doing much work compared to what Paul Mashatile is doing and that is the man that Mabuyane is going to contest.
“We are not going to win by just being in the same slate as Ramaphosa, it didn’t work like that in 2017, and Mashatile is doing what DD Mabuza did to become the deputy president in 2017,” a leader close to Mabuyane said.
Mabuyane confirmed being lobbied to contest under Ramaphosa’s slate, but directed questions to Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, who is a provincial
executive member in the Eastern Cape and minister of small businesses.
“I am available to serve the ANC in whatever capacity they see fit, but I’m not running any campaign, there are people who are responsible for the campaign, talk to them,” said
Mabuyane.
Ndabeni-Abrahams could not be reached for comment.
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