Toil and trouble in ANC factions

The road to the ANC’s December elective national conference is set to be littered with massive infighting among members of each of the party’s two factions before the presidential race even officially begins.

Each camp has to fight internal battles and resolve political dynamics that threaten to weaken their dominance over their opponents.

Many of the Zuma camp members had been won over by Ramaphosa in the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and North West – but Ramaphosa’s followers themselves were no longer united in some provinces due to internal political dynamics.

Ramaphosa had gained ground in the Free State, where the ANC interim task team comprised members from both camps, and the anti-Ramaphosa rhetoric among KZN leaders had changed.

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Meanwhile, the radical economic transformation (RET), or the Zuma faction, was facing a leadership crisis. There has been a void since Jacob Zuma left active politics, which opened a leadership contest between suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, ANC NEC member Lindiwe Sisulu and Zuma’s son, Duduzane Zuma.

This has divided the faction, and Zuma himself seemed to be betting for his son to take over from him. Many envisage a clash between Magashule and Sisulu. Duduzane Zuma has meanwhile been campaigning within ANC grassroots structures in KwaZulu-Natal.

On the other hand, some Ramaphosa-supporting provinces, while behind him, were said to be fighting among themselves over petty personal differences and for proximity to the leader. The Northern Cape is an exception – and working towards a 100% Ramaphosa support in December.

The Northern Cape has 233 branches that attended Nasrec and 211 voted for Ramaphosa and only 22 for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

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An Eastern Cape ANC source said Ramaphosa followers in the province, led by premier Oscar Mabuyane, did not see eye to eye this time around. There is a triangular fallout among the main players – Mabuyane; ANC women’s league provincial chair Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe; and national chair and Ramaphosa’s chief lobbyist Gwede Mantashe.

This was threatening to weaken the faction towards December.

The matter is complicated by Mantashe’s own presidential ambitions. He is said to see himself as Ramaphosa’s successor and is rumoured to be preparing to stand against Ramaphosa in December. Mantashe also allegedly did not like the fact that Mabuyane communicated directly with Ramaphosa on ANC matters and not through him.

Mabuyane, meanwhile, had been lobbying to replace Mantashe as national chair in December – a threat to Mantashe’s political future. Mantashe had been micromanaging the province as part of his future presidential ambition.

Ramaphosa was recently supported by four of the five regions in Limpopo. Premier and provincial chair Stanley Mathabatha publicly pronounced recently that the province support Ramaphosa’s second term.

Mpumalanga, meanwhile, could not even talk about who they supported for the presidency, for the province was grappling with who should succeed Deputy President David Mabuza as provincial chair.

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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