KZN faction won’t faze Ramaphosa

The ANC’s radical economic transformation (RET) faction loyal to former president Jacob Zuma will, no doubt, be crowing about the supposed defeat handed to Cyril Ramaphosa and his supporters at the party’s KwaZulu-Natal provincial conference over the weekend.

The party’s so-called “Taliban” group (loyal to Zuma and RET) won the day in the provincial office bearer elections, with Zuma friend Siboniso Duma being given the position of chair. That may not, though, be the resounding endorsement of the anti-Ramaphosa faction that some might believe it to be.

Duma was elected with 930 votes against the 665 for Sihle Zikalala, who was perceived to be gravitating towards Ramaphosa. This raises the possibility that the KZN voting bloc might not be that strong at the ANC’s crucial elective conference in December.

That being the case, any move to unseat Ramaphosa as president of the organisation might face serious opposition. Although KZN is numerically the biggest province in the ANC structure, the other eight combined would carry more electoral weight … and indications are that those eight provinces will stay loyal to Ramaphosa.

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However, that the province will provide serious opposition to Ramaphosa’s second-term ambitions is not in doubt, given that the new provincial executive launched its tenure with an attack on the ANC’s policy that those accused of criminal activities be forced to step aside from positions and not be eligible to stand for election.

This excludes a number of RET politicians, including suspended secretary-general Ace Magashule, from trying for office.

However, the fact that Ramaphosa chose to stride into the lion’s den of his opponents in the province – and the apparent equanimity with which he handled a hostile reception at the provincial conference – shows that he is not going to be intimidated. Those opposing Ramaphosa underestimate his tenacity – and his backing – at their peril.