Ramaphosa 'for president'
2005-06-21 10:12
Cape Town - Businessman Cyril Ramaphosa has
emerged in a top South Africa opinion survey as the favourite to succeed Thabo Mbeki as president of South Africa.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel emerges as second favourite
choice of
South Africans and official opposition leader Tony Leon is in third place.
The survey by Markinor - released by Mari Harris and Anneke Greyling on
Tuesday - comes in the wake of the announcement that the African National Congress's
deputy
president Jacob Zuma would be withdrawing from participation from ruling
party
structures "pending the completion of the legal process" so as to allow his
organisation
to function smoothly without pressure while he faces charges of corruption.
The national prosecuting authority announced on Monday that Zuma would
face
prosecution on two counts of corruption.
The survey thus took out Zuma, who was axed as the nation's deputy
president last
week, as a prospective successor for president although it said he had come
up as a
prospective successor in the survey.
The survey was conducted from 28 October to 30 November last year among
3 500
randomly selected respondents from all walks of life.
Asked who would be Mbeki's successor, Ramaphosa - who emerged with the
most
votes for the ANC's national executive committee at the 1997 ruling African
National
Congress (ANC) national conference but slipped to second position behind
Manuel at
the 2002 conference - emerged as the top candidate.
Among ruling African National Congress supporters he was also the
strongest
candidate for president - gaining 12% of ANC supporters with Defence
Minister Mosiuoa
Lekota coming in second and Manuel third spot - with 4.2% and 3.8%
respectively.
Lekota, however, slips down to fifth place among all South Africans of all
race groups
and political allegiances.
Among Democratic Alliance supporters party leader Tony Leon comes in
first with
31% but Manuel is a close second with 14% support followed by Ramaphosa with
7%.