Ramaphosa, just another compromised candidate for ANC presidency

[View in browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( M&G Mornings | Fri 11 Nov   As inevitable as it was that Jacob Zuma would retain his seat as ANC president in Mangaung at the 2012 elective conference, there was a contest. His deputy in Kgalema Motlanthe raised his hand against a very powerful president – although his backers were rather unhappy with his lack of aggression in the months and weeks before the conference. By the time of that conference the late Mail & Guardian correspondent, Mandy Rossouw, had already broken the story of Nkandla and there were strong murmurings of a family outside of the ANC sanctum that was fast beginning to dictate the functionings of state. (In our second episode of our Podcast series called “The Chief” we talk about the years that came to define his Presidency of party and state.) Despite all these signs of what ultimately would prove a bad presidency in our democratic age, Zuma sang his way to re-election, serenading the crowd to “Inde lendlela esiyihambayo” – simply translated to it’s a long road we are yet to travel. ” I distinctly remember that braggadocious moment towards the end of the conference, I simply can’t hate on his vocal skills. Now a decade later, the ANC heads into yet another elective conference with an incumbent being challenged from not one but all corners. Early season pacesetters such as Lindiwe Sisulu may have fallen away along with the omnipresent candidate, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. (She’s been touted for this role for God knows how long.) But there are others. For a time, it seemed almost as inevitable as it was for his predecessor that President Cyril Ramaphosa would win re-election. The year couldn’t have been smoother until the revelations of Phala Phala that have deeply compromised a presidency built on the ethos of clean governance. Getting a second-term will now prove quite the challenge and if he does pass the test; the Phala Phala revelations like the Nkandla Scandal will yet again cast a dark cloud over an ANC president. Thabo Mbeki’s second-term was mired by his handling of the AIDS crisis, one can never forget that – wherever you stand on those arguments from what seems a bygone era. So it’s Groundhog Day for the party, but the stakes are a whole lot higher because of how low the popularity of the party has fallen since those heady heights of 2009. Coalitions are a very real prospect if they can’t inspire supporters to get to the polls in droves in 2024. Ron Derby | Editor-in-Chief [@RonDerby]( [Subscribe now]( to enjoy unlimited access to The Mail & Guardian for only R99 per month.   Premium [Phala Phala: Deadlock over Ramaphosa taking leave of absence]( The integrity commission’s stalled report is the last hurdle for the president ahead of the December ANC conference Join thousands of South Africans who want a more just South Africa. Read past party lines, past the bluster and the distortion. Get the best reporting, analysis and commentary that is factual, balanced and fair with uninterrupted access to all Mail & Guardian content online. Plus - Preferential access to Mail & Guardian events - Get daily conversation starters straight into your inbox - An invitation to join the newsroom’s Review session on Friday mornings - Lend your expertise and experience to the stories we tell [// Read more]( Articles labelled as Premium are only available to subscribers. [CLICK HERE]( to subscribe Already a subscriber? 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