A faction perceived as pro-President Cyril Ramaphosa lost a key battle this past weekend at the ANC’s provincial elective conference in KwaZulu-Natal, the region with the most votes at the ruling party’s December conference. Sboniso Duma, who had the backing of the anti-Ramaphosa group, is the new provincial chairperson. It was a clean sweep for Duma, as the positions of deputy chair, secretary, treasurer and deputy treasurer all went to the faction that named itself the “Taliban” when it plotted the provincial takeover from Ramaphosa’s ally, Sihle Zikalala, who has now been left out in the cold.
Phala Phala has become a large and thick thorn in his side. His lack of transparency has made him an easy target for his detractors.
The anti-Ramaphosa factions also decided upon an apt name for his camp: the “Ankole” grouping, a reference to the large breed of cattle with long, thick horns sold on his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo. Phala Phala, where a wad of cash allegedly hidden in the furniture was ready for the taking during a burglary in February 2020, a piece of information revealed by former spy boss and Jacob Zuma-appointee Arthur Fraser. Ramaphosa’s skirting of the issue weakened his political position. Phala Phala has become a large and thick thorn in his side. His lack of transparency has made him an easy target for his detractors.
In the run-up to last week’s KZN conference, Ramaphosa failed to meet a deadline to respond to questions around the Phala Phala break-in posed by the office of the public protector. He has repeatedly failed to tell us exactly what happened, why it was covered up and why he had so much US foreign currency hidden in cash. His grouping’s weak performance in KZN reflects his shaky position as a leader at the moment. Ramaphosa was already being criticised for being slow to react to the energy crisis unfolding as SA deals with load-shedding and crippling economic pressures. On Monday night, he finally addressed the nation on a new energy plan, after many weeks of blackouts.
He has by no means lost the war yet. The leaders of at least four other provinces have indicated they would show support for Ramaphosa to be re-elected in December. Also, the KZN victory for the RET faction does not mean all its delegates will vote against him. But it should serve as a warning to him: Even those in his own ranks do not want a lame leader. Ramaphosa has become his own worst enemy; a position that places our country at risk. Only he can change that.
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