Billionaire businessman and Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe enjoys the support of a formidable lobby group inside the ANC, campaigning for him to lead the party – and potentially the nation – into a new post President Cyril Ramaphosa era.
Behind closed doors, a coalition of politicians, business leaders and professionals is mobilising a meticulously organised campaign to position Motsepe as the ANC’s presidential candidate ahead of its pivotal 2027 national conference.
Operating in secrecy due to the ANC’s gag order on succession debates, Motsepe’s lobbyists, who spoke anonymously to Sunday World during an interview this week, are confident their campaign is unstoppable.
ANC national leaders we spoke to appear nonchalant, but Motsepe’s lobbyists are adamant that their man has agreed to run but will not come out publicly until the ANC succession debate is officially open.
The campaign is full throttle on social media platforms and in ANC structures across the country, they say, and it has the blessings of serving ANC NEC members and ministers, who themselves are scared of coming out publicly to endorse Motsepe.
Eastern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng have been identified as provinces of interest to use as the launching pads.
The campaign is centred on selling Motsepe as an effective “Mr Fix It” in everything he touches. In this regard, his credentials as Mamelodi Sundowns FC president, businessman and CAF president will be flooding the debate on the succession and, ultimately, on the question of who must take the country forward as head of state in 2029.
The campaign has also identified serving NEC members to form part of the team he would lead with.
Among young leaders, Zuko Godlimpi emerges as a frontrunner of leaders who can drink from Motsepe’s fountain of wisdom and form a great partnership. Other leaders who are earmarked to be lobbied to join Team Motsepe include NEC member Soviet Lekganyane, Northern Cape ANC chairman Zamani Saul, his Eastern Cape counterpart Oscar Mabuyane, ANC Gauteng provincial task team co-convenor Panyaza Lesufi and ANC national assembly chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli.
The third leg of the campaign is to package Motsepe as the man who will unite ANC factions and turn around the dwindling electoral fortunes of the party going into the 2029 national and provincial elections.
The campaign will also capitalise on the relations Motsepe has forged with traditional leaders in mining communities where he does business as well as with religious groups.
“In the law of influence, Dr Motsepe has relationships that he has made over time. For instance, in mining one has to speak to royal families that are disagreeing with the government over land; he has been there and done that,” said one of the lobbyists.
“With many stakeholders, he comes out very well. Patrice can speak with Contralesa; Patrice can speak with the ZCC; Patrice can speak with the Shembe Church, alone. Patrice can speak with the Zulu Kingdom alone. He is not in the shadow of the president.
“Patrice led Nafcoc very well. When he left, they messed it up. When president [Thabo] Mbeki started Busa, Patrice was president, and there was progress.
“Now he is leading CAF and is the deputy president at Fifa, and the reform he introduced at CAF saw its financial standing, governance and competitiveness improve to become number three in continental confederations of Fifa.”
These credentials, the lobbyists believe, set Motsepe apart from other candidates. And besides, Motsepe does not enter a race if he is not going to win. To support this, they say his rise to the CAF presidency as a Southern Africa candidate bears testimony.
“If Patrice can win CAF, what could be more difficult? They wanted Samuel Eto in the recent CAF elections; Patrice won the second term uncontested. His second term as CAF president ends in March 2028 – three months after he has been sworn in as ANC president.”
They insist that the ANC is at the crossroads and needs a tried and tested leader with an undisputable track record of turning things around.
Motsepe has also “displayed his deep sense of humility”.
“Dr Motsepe has a track record of resolving problems faster. There was no one now who could talk to Donald Trump, he came in and made the meeting with president Ramaphosa possible. The ANC needs a leader who will unite the nation. We need a leader with geographic and demographic awareness, and he is that man.”
Motsepe did not respond to a text message seeking his comment on the matter.
