ANCYL urges Ramaphosa to withdraw from succession race

The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has called on Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to stop contesting for the ruling party’s top job through media platforms.

Speaking on Wednesday during an event at OR Tambo International Airport to welcome back home former African Union (AU) commissioner Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, ANCYL secretary-general, Njabulo Nzuza, said the league was condemning people making themselves available prior to being nominated by the party’s branches.

“Nobody has nominated Ramaphosa, so he should await his nomination. The process of the ANC is that a branch must nominate you, and then you must accept nomination,” Nzuza charged.

“If you go to media platforms and say you’re available, you are actually contravening rules and regulations as well as organisational culture.”

On Tuesday, Dlamini-Zuma officially handed over the reins to new chairperson of AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, who is from Chad.

The ANC struggle veteran and Ramaphosa have been see as the frontrunners in the race to succeed President Jacob Zuma as the next leader of Africa’s oldest liberation movement when his term ends later this year in December.

Dlamini-Zuma has the backing of the ANC Women’s League, some factions of the ANCYL and the so-called “Premier’s League”, who have been campaigning for her to become the party’s first woman president.

Ramaphosa thus far has the support of Cosatu, the ANC’s biggest alliance partner.

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