ANC Northern Cape endorses Ramaphosa for party leader

The ANC in the Northern Cape has reportedly endorsed Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to take over from President Jacob Zuma as leader of the governing party, News24 reported.

The news website reported that the party’s newly elected secretary, Deshi Nxanga, read out the provincial conference declaration on Saturday night. It stated that when the ANC opens its succession race, the Northern Cape would call for the tradition of the ANC deputy succeeding the president to be followed.

The resolution by the party in the province has made it the first province to declare support for Ramaphosa during a conference.

“Delegates unanimously agreed that when the debate is opened by NEC [national executive committee], the ANC Northern Cape … will insist on the adherence to the tradition that [the] deputy president should be elected as president when the current president’s term comes to an end,” Nxanga was quoted as saying.

Earlier on Saturday, Ramaphosa’s campaign bid to succeed Zuma as ANC leader received another endorsement from the South African National Civic Organisation.

The civic organisation said the deputy president, who’s a frontrunner for the top job along with ANC NEC member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, would help to unit and build cohesion within the ruling party.

The ANC’s biggest alliance partner Cosatu gave its backing to Ramaphosa in February and called on Zuma to step down after his controversial midnight Cabinet reshuffle on March 30, which saw then finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, fired from the finance ministry.

Dlamini-Zuma is said to have the backing of her ex-husband Zuma, the ANC Youth League, and the endorsement of the party’s Women’s League.

The former AU chairperson also has the support of the so-called Premier League – an informal ANC lobby group led by the premiers and provincial ANC chairpersons from Mpumalanga, North West, and Free State linked to Zuma.

The ANC will elect its new leader later this year in December at its 54th national congress when Zuma’s term as party leader ends.

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