ANC candidacy: better the devil you know

Both Cyril Ramaphosa and his former Health minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, will be battling it out this weekend for the helm of the ANC and, in turn, the presidency of the country.

ANC branch delegates will choose between the two candidates, feeling like they are between a rock and a hard place after both individuals suffered irreparable reputational damage in the media following scandals.

But who is the lesser evil?

Political analyst Dr Ntsikelelo Breakfast says it was clear the gap between the two contenders was wide and confirmed that he did not see it likely that someone would rise from the floor to win the conference.

“That is unprecedented and, throughout history, that has never happened. At some point, the late Winnie Mandela tried to be nominated from the floor but fell short of meeting the threshold when she wanted to contest for deputy presidency against Jacob Zuma,” he said.

“There is no history of that happening but I agree on democracy thriving within the party. Those who were not mentioned did not meet the threshold.”

Breakfast added that it was of great concern to note that both contenders were severely implicated in scandals but were still in the running. He said that it gave the impression that the ANC did not take the issue of corruption seriously.

“I do not know if they are considering them only because they have run out of good leaders,” he said.

“One of their own once said they all have skeletons in their closets. No wonder it is difficult for them to choose who to vote for,” he added.

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Who is Cyril Ramaphosa?

Cyril Ramaphosa, a businessman and politician, is the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa, as well as president of the ANC.

Ramaphosa was born on 17 November 1952, in Johannesburg. He registered to study law at the University of the North in 1972, where he became involved in student politics, joining the South African Student Organisation and the Black People’s Convention.

With South Africa’s first democratic elections on 27 April 1994, Ramaphosa became a member of parliament and was elected as chair of the Constitutional Assembly.

He was appointed deputy chair of the National Planning Commission in 2010, a body created to draft the National Development Plan.

In December 2012, he was elected ANC deputy president at the ANC’s 53rd national conference in Mangaung, and in December 2017, he was elected 13th ANC president at the national conference in Nasrec.

After that, he pursued a vigorous anti-corruption campaign, cleaning up the South African Revenue Service, as well as the National Prosecuting Authority, which had been weaponised in the service of former president Jacob Zuma.

Ramaphosa’s vow to prosecute those named in State Capture

Ramaphosa also vowed to prosecute all those named in the state capture report as having been connected with corruption and state capture.

However, Ramaphosa has blotted his own copybook by seemingly avoiding full disclosure on the foreign currency stashed in a couch at his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo and which was later stolen in a burglary.

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There were also questionable occurrences in the supposed investigation that followed.

He has since received overwhelming support from his party though, which rejected a parliamentary Section 89 report into the scandal.

Aspects of corruption not a decisive factor

Political analyst André Duvenhage said the aspect of corruption or no corruption would not be a decisive factor.

According to Duvenhage, Ramaphosa had won the political battle so far, after coming close to resigning and would enter the election of the national conference as the favourite.

He said what could possibly bring him some competition would be an alliance.

“There are rumours in this regard of people like Mkhize, Lindiwe Sisulu, as well as Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma where such an alliance may try to oppose him and mobilise accordingly,” he said.

“Ramaphosa would not fight Mkhize one-on-one but he would fight the top six and their respective support bases. That may become a bit difficult, but I think he is still the favourite to win the competition.”

Duvenhage said Ramaphosa was a bit weakened with the whole drama around him and did not have his ideal choice as the top six, which would require him to make some compromises.

“I am expecting him to create his own alliances behind the scenes but in the end might win the position,” he says.

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“But this was also not the end of the legal battle involving Phala Phala. It will continue even after the national conference and it will definitely be a difficult time for Ramaphosa.”

Who is Zweli Mkhize?

Born in Willowfontein, Pietermaritzburg, on 2 February 1956, Mkhize is a medical doctor and politician, who served as the minister of Health from May 2019, until his resignation on 5 August 2021. He previously served as the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister from 2018 to 2019.

He was an anti-apartheid activist in uMkhonto we Sizwe.

He has a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and was elected provincial chair of the ANC in 2008.

Mkhize rose to prominence when he was elected treasurer-general of the ANC at the 53rd national conference in December 2012.

Mkhize has also played a central role in South Africa’s response to the Covid pandemic.

He is now contesting for the ANC presidential position.

The Digital Vibes scandal

Amid allegations that he and his family had benefited improperly from a state contract awarded to a communications company, Digital Vibes, Mkhize still came out to contest for the presidential position.

Early in June last year, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) released a report on corruption, which found Mkhize was involved in a contract worth R150 million, which was illegally awarded to Digital Vibes. His son also reportedly received about R3.8 million.

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However, Mkhize denied the allegations and also noted he was shocked to learn about his son Dedani Mkhize’s involvement in this scandal as their relationship was strained.

In October this year, Mkhize approached the High Court in Johannesburg to set aside the SIU’s findings and declare it unconstitutional and unlawful.

He called on the SIU to make amendments to the Digital Vibes report, claiming its admission did not have the Cabinet documents it had relied on to make the adverse findings against him.

But despite all this, Mkhize was confident that he would be elected to the top post after being backed by several regions in the KwaZulu-Natal.