President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: Gallo Images/Sharon Seretlo) Despite the ANC’s denial that the National General Council (NGC) is not the place to discuss succession, a political analyst believes there are enough indicators to suggest that the question of who will replace Cyril Ramaphosa as party president is one of the pressing issues at this meeting. ANC leaders have gathered at the Birchwood Hotel on the East Rand, where they will review the party’s work over the past term.
There have been reports about the meeting being used to recall Ramaphosa, but the party’s leaders have been at pains to silence party members from talking about the party’s succession conflicts. On Monday, the party’s chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, warned those who want to sneak the succession debate into the conference to desist from doing so. “Today we are having the NGC.
What we are expecting from all of you is maximum contribution to the discussion, say what you want to say here today, but we are going to ensure that there is discipline in expressing our views. He is among several top leaders who have denounced talking about Ramaphosa’s successor before 2027, when his term as ANC president comes to an end. A faction that wants Ramaphosa gone has blamed him for the party’s declining support and for their loss at last year’s general elections.
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But political analyst Theo Neethling said, despite what the ANC’s leaders are saying, the gloves are off in the background, and some leaders are positioning themselves to take over the ANC. “Even with ongoing public rejections from high-ranking ANC officials, the party is clearly transitioning into a phase of heightened internal conflict. “Official statements depict the NGC as simply a review platform, yet the reality on the ground suggests otherwise. “What the ANC leaders refer to as ‘renewal’ frequently seems, in reality, to be a contest for dominance over crucial structures prior to the 2027 elective conference,” said Neethling.
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