Ramaphosa is flexing his political muscles

It should be clear by now to most political observers that President Cyril Ramaphosa is no novice when it comes to playing the ANC’s internal games. His landslide of nominations for president from the party’s branches confirmed this.

Although the 2017 ANC elective conference at Nasrec was a close-run thing – as Ramaphosa apparently squeaked in narrowly against his challenger, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma – this year’s edition appears set to become a ringing endorsement of him. So, what has changed in the intervening years?

For a start, Ramaphosa has – whether you acknowledge it or not – moved to deal with corruption… and many of those who benefitted are feeling threatened now.

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Likewise, many of those who may have allied themselves to the “radical economic transformation” clique orbiting Jacob Zuma have clearly been having second thoughts about being dragged down with them as the dismantling of the state capture project continues.

Ramaphosa has, astutely, followed the approach of former US president Lyndon Johnson who, in describing how to play the politics game, said it was better to have your opponents “inside the tent pissing out” rather than “outside the tent pissing in”.

Ramaphosa has co-opted some of the leading lights of the RET faction into his Cabinet, effectively drawing their teeth.

That the likes of Dlamini-Zuma, Fikile Mbalula, Paul Mashatile and even deputy president David Mabuza have done so without kicking back shows they, like many in the ANC, are used to gauging which way the wind is blowing.

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Ramaphosa has also neutralised people like former Free State premier Ace Magashule, who was forced to step aside because of criminal charges.

The president has clearly shown his political and organisational muscle and the odds are stacked against anyone who goes up against him at Nasrec.