Motsepe’s move to politics could shield Ramaphosa from future Phala Phala probes
· Citizen
Billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe has publicly denied he is campaigning for the ANC presidency, calling the rumours “false and unfounded”.
The ANC has been in the spotlight after intense lobbying by some in the party in favour of Motsepe running for the party presidency at the 2027 elective conference.
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Recently, a “PM27” website was launched, urging South Africans to support the mining mogul – who is also president of the Confederation of African Football – to replace President Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC leader.
Ramaphosa is serving his second and last term as ANC president and the new candidate will take over from 2027.
Motsepe dismisses ANC presidency claims
The ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) has expressed concern that the PM27 campaign is breaking the ANC’s protocol on internal elections.
Some ANC members have been seen wearing PM27 T-shirts and regalia, but it is still unclear whether the PM on these materials stands for Motsepe or Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
However, addressing shareholders of his company African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) on Friday, Motsepe dismissed rumours that he has ambitions for political office.
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Motsepe said he does not need to enter politics to make a contribution to South Africa, noting his family foundation will continue supporting various political parties, including the ANC.
“The best place for us to make this contribution is outside poltics. I said this 20 years ago and I said it five years ago.
“The minute you run for votes, you lose sight of the broader objective, the broader benefit for all South Africans,” he said.
“So, let me go back to my shareholders, I have a duty to answer these questions to you… it’s false, and unfounded.
“The last thing I would do is to fund people to buy T-shirts. PM27 could also mean postmeridian. I don’t know,” Motsepe said to the laughter of the attendees.
Mbalula slams Motsepe campaign
With the local government elections expected to take place later this year, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula urged party supporters in January to focus on the upcoming polls, saying an early “Patrice Motsepe campaign is mischievous“.
Mbalula said he does “not have to engage” Motsepe on his presidential ambitions.
“I will deal with the matter as per the mandate given to me withthose who are perpetuating that, because I don’t know where that comes from,” he said.
“If he is a member of the ANC, he will know that there is an order in the organisation for matters of that nature.
READ MORE: ‘Motsepe or Mbeki cannot reverse ANC decline’
“Nothing would stand in the fact that if people want him to become president of the ANC for whatever reasons and he is a member of the ANC, because anyone can stand to become anything, that moment will come.”
Mbalula said there is “lifetime to debate” over the potential candidates for the ANC presidency after the local government elections.
Mbeki could be roped in?
Earlier reports claimed former president Thabo Mbeki could be roped in to take over to restore the ANC to acceptance as a last-ditch attempt to stem the party’s decline and restore its public image ahead of the municipal elections.
Analysts, however, believe the move by an ANC faction to push Motsepe as an alternative smacks of desperation, because those party insiders were banking on Motsepe to help halt the ANC’s slide in the polls.
READ MORE: Why a pact between Mashatile and Mbalula is a recipe for disaster for the ANC
Researcher and independent analyst Dominic Maphaka said elevating Motsepe from the business to the political arena could have been to try to ensure he would spare Ramaphosa from any future prosecution around the Phala Phala saga when his presidential term expires in 2029.
Another analyst, Levy Ndou, from Tshwane University of Technology, said there is no leadership crisis in the ANC as everybody in good standing could contest elections in the party.
Maphaka said the lobbying also indicates a leadership crisis within the ANC where members couldn’t wait because they had lost confidence in the current national leadership to take the party forward.
Motsepe’s track record
Maphaka added that Motsepe’s backers wanted to leverage on his influence in business, football and as a philanthropist to benefit the ANC in the light of its electoral downward spiral.
“There is a conviction within the ANC echelons that, despite allegations of corruption around Ramaphosa, he is the only leader who can renew the struggling ANC,” Maphaka said.
“In view of Ramaphosa’s imminent exit, some ANC members view Motsepe as a suitable candidate to help the party to redefine its tainted image and regain the lost support.
“Those holding this view believe Motsepe’s track record of good leadership in the business sector, football and generosity may help the ANC to appeal to voters who have lost trust and confidence in the party.
“At the personal level, for the sitting president, Motsepe’s election and his potential ascendancy to the high office would help to frustrate any efforts to prosecute Ramaphosa.
“So, having his brother-in-law at the helm of the party and the state may be a huge relief for Ramaphosa,” Maphaka said.
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