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Voting to elect a new leader of South Africa’s ruling party got underway late Sunday, with the race tightening between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his former health minister Zweli Mkhize.
Ramaphosa, 70, is expected to be confirmed in the role that would open the way to his being head of state for a second term, despite a damaging cash-heist scandal and vociferous internal opposition.
But the race looked closer than previously expected Sunday, with reports of party delegates from several provinces shifting support to Mkhize, who Ramaphosa replaced at the peak of the pandemic for alleged malfeasance involving Covid funds.
More than 4,000 delegates were casting their ballots to appoint seven top leadership roles, including party president, deputy president, chair and secretary general, at a conference near Johannesburg.
Ramaphosa had been tipped to win the vote comfortably.
But University of the Witwatersrand lecturer Lumkile Mondi said: “Things are so fluid at the moment. It’s going to be very tight.”
The African National Congress (ANC) was shaped by Nelson Mandela to spearhead the struggle to end apartheid. After nearly three decades in power, the rifts in the party are deepening — and their support is declining.
The five-day conference has further exposed those divisions, with allegations of vote-buying and horse-trading ahead of the vote.
The practice “can be divisive” said party spokesman Pule Mabe, adding “there is a commitment on our part to deal with the notion of vote buying”.
“This has been really like a casino,” said Mondi.
Results expected Monday
Political analyst Levy Ndou of the Tshwane University of Technology confirmed the behind-the scenes negotiations but forecasted that Ramaphosa would still take the vote.
The election, originally scheduled to take place on Friday, is closely watched. The winner of the…
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