Ramaphosa leads race for ANC president

At least five of the nine provinces back the deputy president

DEPUTY President Cyril Ramaphosa seems to be the frontrunner in the race for ANC president. Five of the nine provinces have indicated their support for him. Ramaphosa also has some support in the Free State, North West and KwaZuluNatal, seen as strong support bases for President Jacob Zuma and his ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

KwaZulu-Natal is the ANC’s biggest province and will be sending 870 delegates out of the total of 4 723 to the conference.

Of the total delegates, a large group are in support of Dlamini Zuma, but Ramaphosa’s support is not to be taken lightly.

KwaZulu-Natal has 324 branches of which 316 had their branch general meetings (BGMs) of which 247 nominated Dlamini Zuma and 69 nominated Ramaphosa. Eight branches are yet to hold meetings. Mpumalanga, which is seen as the kingmaker in the conference, will be sending 736 delegates.

The province is a hotbed for disruptions and sources say it’s currently a neck-andneck contest. The Eastern Cape has 299 branches cleared and is fully behind Ramaphosa. The newly-elected leadership is also firmly behind the deputy president.

Of the total branches, 195 have held their BGMs where Ramaphosa received a total of 182 nominations and Dlamini Zuma 11. The Western Cape will send 182 delegates. So far a total of 88 branches have already met where Ramaphosa received 78 nominations and Dlamini Zuma six.

In the Northern Cape, 181 branches were eligible to nominate. So far, the bulk of the branches have not held their BGMs, but Dlamini Zuma has a slight lead. That lead is however expected to be cut, as the province’s executive is fully behind Ramaphosa.

In Gauteng, 198 of the province’s 470 qualifying branches successfully held their BGMs, with 176 nominating Ramaphosa and 22 Dlamini Zuma. Gauteng is seen as one of the biggest anti-Zuma provinces.

In Limpopo, Ramaphosa’s home province, 177 branches nominated Ramaphosa and 28 Dlamini Zuma. The province has 205 branches and there are more which need to complete their nomination processes. In the North West, of the 347 eligible branches, fewer than 25% of the branches have held their BGMs.

Twenty-three branches have nominated Ramaphosa and 14 have backed Dlamini Zuma. Sources within the ANC said it is expected that support for Dlamini Zuma will grow, but Ramaphosa stands a good chance. Insiders in the Free State say just more than 150 BGMs had been held but the exact figures remain sketchy. The province will send 409 candidates.