ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has sent a stern warning to party members to stop discussing the 2027 succession debate or associating with any campaign. Mbalula has come out guns blazing, threatening disciplinary action, after videos emerged over the weekend showing T-shirts being printed bearing ‘PM27’, a campaign being associated with billionaire Patrice Motsepe. Though Motsepe has publicly said he would not be contesting for the ANC presidency, lobbyists have been hard at work running his potential campaign ahead of the 2027 national conference.
The printing of T-shirts for Motsepe’s campaign appears to have angered Mbalula, who on Wednesday shot off a letter to the ANC national executive committee (NEC) members, provincial secretaries, the party’s leagues and regions. In the letter dated January 21, Mbalula reminds party structures that the NEC took a decision to put all 2027 leadership debates in abeyance at least until after the local government elections scheduled for later this year. Mbalula has warned of severe consequences should the public debates on contestation continue and specifically mentioned the so-called Motsepe campaign.
“This serves as a reminder that the NEC took a decision which was communicated to all provinces, that no ANC structure or member should engage in leadership contestations ahead of the ANC national conference to be held in 2027,” wrote Mbalula. “In this regard, we caution any ANC member to disassociate themselves with the production and distribution of the ‘PM’ T-shirt or its associated leadership campaigns.” Mbalula has taken issue with the purported Motsepe campaign, having publicly denounced it several times. At the party’s national general council (NGC) in December, Mbalula called out to Motsepe to sit down after ANC members had gathered around to greet him.
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The party goes to its national conference in December 2027, where delegates will elect Cyril Ramaphosa’s successor along with the rest of the national officials as well as the NEC. So far the top contenders for the ANC president position are Mbalula, deputy president Paul Mashatile, Motsepe as well as National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza.
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