Analysts pan Zwane's claim to know who next ANC president will be

Political analysts have poured cold water to a claim by Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane that it was a foregone conclusion who the next president of the ANC will be.

“We already know who will be president … It’s a done deal. We are not stressing. The policies won’t change. In January there will new leadership and policies will remain the same‚” said Zwane‚ widely seen as a staunch supporter of current party president Jacob Zuma.

Zwane‚ who made the remarks at the Joburg Indaba gala dinner on Tuesday night‚ said the matter had already been decided at branch level around the country and the result was already known within the party.

However‚ political analyst Ebrahim Fakir said there were certain trends that one could read about who could be leader of the ANC‚ but no one could know for certain who the leader would be.

“Maybe it is bluster or he knows something we don’t know. Maybe he is party to manipulating the voting process‚” Fakir said.

Another political analyst‚ Dr Somadoda Fikeni‚ said factional leaders would beat up their drums and claim they knew who was going to be the leader of the ANC.

Fikeni said there was absolutely nothing at the moment which suggested who the next president would be. “We cannot know that right now. It is too early to tell‚” Fikeni said.

Fakir said there were about 5 000 delegates from the branches who would vote at the elective conference of the ANC in December. Fakir said it was not yet known how the delegates would vote.

The leadership race has been hotly contested between deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and veteran ANC leader Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize has also been linked to the ANC presidential race. He sidestepped questions on what Zwane said. “I am not able to comment on that because I do not know what the statement was. Unfortunately‚ I was not there‚” Mkhize said at the same event on Wednesday.

Other leaders believed to be in the running include Lindiwe Sisulu‚ Mathews Phosa and Baleka Mbete.