NDZ happy to let Zuma remain SA’s President should she win ANC election

Expect two bulls to bellow in one kraal – because Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (NDZ) is happy to let President Jacob Zuma stay on until 2019 to finish his term as the country’s leader if she wins the ANC election in December.

Sipho Seepe, a political analyst, said there is no squabble between the two and that harmonious relations would prevail between Luthuli House and the Union Buildings after December.

Seepe’s view echoed that of sources within the Dlamini-Zuma camp, who made it clear that she would not remove Zuma. This would create two centres of power where Zuma would preside over the state and NDZ would be the chief at Luthuli House.

In terms of the existing ANC policy, the party president automatically becomes the country’s president. But the party’s and the country’s terms do not run on the same timeline – a two-year gap was created between the election of the party president and that of the state.

The situation could turn ugly should a different person be elected to lead the party. Seepe said two centres developed where the centre and government deployees “march to different drum beats” as was the case after Polokwane.

“President Thabo Mbeki was recalled because he had become disdainful of the leadership of the ANC,” Seepe said.

He said if Dlamini-Zuma made it in December, the country should expect a harmonious working relationship between the head of state and the ANC president. But if Zuma was succeeded by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, the relations between the two would be disastrous.

According to the NDZ lobbyists, it would not be in the interest of Dlamini-Zuma to embarrass Zuma by recalling him.

However, the lobbyists did not dismiss the possibility of the two entering into a pact where Zuma would retire before the end of his term of office in 2019 to enable NDZ to take over the reins.

“She qualifies to be a president of the country, she can run the country. Taking her to parliament to become an MP was part of the plan. Any MP can be a president or occupy any executive position as per the ANC deployment,” one lobbyist said.

Carl Niehaus, a member of the NDZ campaign team, played down the situation and diverted it to her campaign.

He said at the moment Dlamini-Zuma was focusing on her campaign and on who should occupy the Union Buildings.

“The president of the country has a term that is to expire in 2019. No discussion about the president leaving office early has taken place. We are not going to be specific about that, our focus is on the conference and winning in December,” Niehaus said.

Niehaus said the NDZ campaign was gaining momentum in different provinces and expressed excitement at the huge crowd turnout in Limpopo last weekend.

“We have made inroads in areas people said were in the bag of the other candidates. We made a good showing in Limpopo,” he said.

Asked if Mpumalanga, which is regarded as a key province, was securely in NDZ’s bag, Niehaus said they were holding discussions with different provinces and those were progressing well.

“All the provinces are important for our support, including Mpumalanga.”

Last week, the North West ANC announced its support for Dlamini-Zuma’s candidature. This coincided with the Eastern Cape pronouncement that they preferred Ramaphosa to succeed Zuma as ANC president.

Seepe said the issue of the two centres of power was politically resolved when the ANC reiterated that it remained the strategic centre.

This meant those deployed into political office were there to advance the party’s political agenda.

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