Bloemfontein - Businessman and senior
ANC member Cyril Ramaphosa has met President Jacob Zuma and his deputy Kgalema
Motlanthe in separate meetings ahead of the start of the ANC's 53rd conference
to discuss his candidacy for a senior position in the party.
While Zuma is
cruising towards a second term, all eyes are now focussed on the race for the
position of deputy president.
Cyril Ramaphosa is
believed to have accepted nomination for the position of ANC deputy president
after being punted as number two by supporters of President Jacob Zuma’s second
term.
However the race for the position of deputy president is far from over as
NewsFire understands that the prominent politician-turned-businessman is still
reluctant to muddy his hands in a four-way battle for the deputy president
post.
Deputy President Kgalema
Motlanthe has accepted nomination for both president and deputy president, in
addition to his nomination as an ordinary member of the National Executive
Committee (NEC).
National treasurer Mathews Phosa and Human Settlements
minister Tokyo Sexwale are also in the running for the position.
Ramaphosa, who left
active politics in the mid-1990s and built a formidable business empire, has
always indicated that he would only accept calls for his return to a senior
position in the ANC if he was not contested.
He was drawn into the divisive
pre-Mangaung leadership battle by Zuma lobbyists after Motlanthe refused to
back down from contesting the presidency or to engage in talks on a deal to
maintain the status quo in the party.
Motlanthe said he would only obey the
will of the ANC branches and has therefore accepted candidacy for all the
positions for which he has been nominated.
Even though talk was
rife on day one of the five day party conference that Ramaphosa has accepted
nomination for the position of deputy president, it is understood that there is
still a flurry of behind-the-scenes talks to persuade him to remain in the
race. Ramaphosa could still withdraw from the election on the floor of the
conference.
Ramaphosa met with
Motlanthe last Tuesday but it is believed no definite agreement was reached.
The two are both former general secretaries of the National Union of
Mineworkers and are apparently reluctant to go head-to-head in an election
showdown.
NewsFire also
understands that Ramaphosa met with Zuma on Saturday night, with the president
trying to convince him to not to withdraw his candidacy.
The relationship
between Zuma and Motlanthe has apparently reached an all-time low and sources
say the president is determined to replace his deputy.
But Ramaphosa has
apparently said he did not want to be "used" by any faction in the party.
With the conference
schedule running behind time on the opening day, it remains to be seen whether
nominations are able to proceed on Sunday night as planned.
If they do, voting
will take place on Monday.
