Former minister Jeff Radebe backed for ANC deputy president position

Former Mineral Resources and Energy Minister, Jeff Radebe, has been backed for the ANC deputy president position ahead of the governing party’s 55th ANC national elective conference in December this year.

According to City Press, calls have been mounting for the 69-year-old ANC national executive committee (NEC) member to stand for the post, backed by the party’s supporters from the Free State.

One of the supporters told the publication that Radebe’s experience in the ANC and in the state showed “he’s capable of ensuring that government machinery runs”, adding that President Cyril Ramaphosa needs “a deputy who’s familiar with the machinery”.

“Radebe’s seniority and the fact that he’s been the key driver of ANC policy puts him in good standing to marshal respect in government, bring dignity to the office and make sure that ANC policy is implemented.”

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The supporter said Radebe would “step in easily and drive policy as expected” as Ramaphosa’s second-in-command if the president is overwhelmed with work.

Whoever is elected to ANC deputy president will be the head of the party’s deployment committee, and “the power lies there because it means that whoever has to be deployed anywhere must get the incumbent’s approval”, the supporter explained.

Radebe’s supporters were in Limpopo last week, with plans in place to visit the other provinces to sell the campaign.

Meanwhile, the former minister is expected to have a lot on his plate ahead of the December conference as he will lead a task team within the ANC that will deal with the the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture’s reports.

The task team will guide the ANC’s response to the report and recommendations regarding its members.

Competition

It was previously reported last August that Ramaphosa was considering Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise as his running mate.

At the time Sunday Times reported that ANC insiders claimed Modise’s name was high on the list of female leaders Ramaphosa’s faction was considering.

Justice and Correctional Service Minister Ronald Lamola has also been backed by the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) to be deputy president.

Former Limpopo ANCYL chair Boy Mamabolo has also thrown his hat in the ring, receiving backing from several branches in the province, especially in his hometown of Seshego, and in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape.

ANC deputy president David Mabuza indicated last September that he will run again for the position, but reiterated that he would not do so without the party’s blessing.

Other names that were receiving attention among party structures and on social media debates were those of Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Naledi Pandor, Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Nkhensani Kubayi-Ngubane, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe and Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane.