Ramaphosa eyes presidency
2006-07-23 11:27
Makhudu Sefara & S'Thembiso Msomi
Johannesburg - ANC leader and businessman Cyril Ramaphosa has entered the race for the ANC presidency.
City Press understands that Ramaphosa has apparently embarked on a spirited campaign to position himself as an alternative to President Thabo Mbeki and his party deputy Jacob Zuma.
Several sources told the newspaper that Ramaphosa apparently has the backing of Nelson Mandela and key businesspeople including Mzi Khumalo.
City Press has established that a handful of media personalities and "reputation management experts" had been approached and a few still had to be approached "to assist managing Cyril's reputation and profile".
A source said Ramaphosa's aides had met several people in the past four months including radio and TV presenter Redi Direko, public relations consultant Ramotena Mabote and others, but the two deny having met anyone to discuss Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa's aide Maureen Mphatsoe confirmed meeting Direko, but said it had nothing to do with him being available for the ANC presidency.
Mphatsoe said a meeting with Mabote had been scheduled, but had not yet taken place.
She emphasised it was for Ramaphosa's company, Shanduka.
However, sources said Mphatsoe met Direko in the company of Khumalo in Johannesburg and talked about Ramaphosa's image and the ANC leadership.
City Press has learnt that Ramaphosa has been worried about being portrayed in the media as being one of "the usual suspects" benefiting from BEE deals.
This image was considered unhelpful for someone with a union background who apparently nurses ambitions for the presidency.
"This is why there is so much money being poured into Cyril's CSIs (Corporate Social Investments) at Shanduka so that his other good, philanthropic work is taken note of. Cyril has always given to the poor, but there is now a realisation that his donations must be publicly acknowledged and this could help cement a positive image of him," said the source.
The June 16 edition of the Financial Mail said Ramaphosa had "pledged to spend R100 million before 2014 on social projects through the Shanduka Foundation, a CSI organ attached to his business vehicle, Shanduka". Ramaphosa is Shanduka chairperson.
Ramaphosa could not be reached over the past two days. Khumalo had not returned City Press messages left on his cellphone at the time of going to press.
It is public knowledge that Mandela had preferred Ramaphosa as president of the country ahead of Mbeki.
A source said the importance of a compromise candidate in the ANC has never been as crucial as it is now.
Zuma camp
The source said the Zuma camp was fractious with the only uniting feature being that he was the only one who could challenge Mbeki if he had stood as ANC president for a third term. But there was no agreement on whether Zuma truly represented the ANC.
A section of the Zuma camp feels his image was dented by his remarks on HIV and women in short skirts at his rape trial.
"The problem is that he is the only popular guy, despite his many faults, who could take on Mbeki and possibly win. But is he the right guy?"
Another source said Ramaphosa's candidacy would also have been welcomed and probably assisted by those sympathetic to Mbeki.
A Zuma camp insider said Ramaphosa was considered as a dark horse in the presidential race since he was an ANC National Executive Committee member with strong political credentials and money to challenge for the position.
"What we expected was that, as the national conference approaches, we will start to see some branches putting his name in the hat and him later saying he accepted the nominations. But it also makes sense that he would want to enter the race at a public and media level because that is where the battle is being fought right now."
Ramaphosa is credited with leading the ANC negotiation team that ushered in democracy in 1994. He was also instrumental, as chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly, in the drafting and adoption of the country's post-apartheid Constitution.
At the party's 1997 national conference in Mafikeng, Ramaphosa was top of the list of NEC members. He was elected number two at the Stellenbosch conference in 2002.
In 2001, Ramaphosa, Sexwale and Mathews Phosa were falsely accused of being involved in a plot to overthrow Mbeki. While the other two withdrew from active politics after this incident, Ramaphosa remained active in ANC structures and has been assigned several duties by the leadership since then.
He is one of the most recognised ANC leaders outside South Africa and was involved in the disarmament programme of the Irish Republican Army.
A political commentator said the leadership vacuum in the ANC created by the infighting meant Ramaphosa or another credible person with proper backing could still have a chance of leading the ANC.
"A problem with the campaign could be when it is seen in the ANC as a media campaign," he said.
Additional reporting by Wikipedia