Ramaphosa turns on the charm

He plans to woo Limpopo to his side

With just six months left before the ANC national elective conference in December, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has embarked on an aggressive countrywide campaign to drum up support for his presidential bid.

Soweto-born Ramaphosa, who was widely criticised for bidding millions of rands on a buffalo at an auction in 2012, is expected to traverse Vhembe region, Limpopo, soon. During the tour, he will donate three buffalos, 15 impalas and 10 elands to his ancestral village of Matsila in Vhembe district.

However, the move is seen by many as an attempt to woo the Limpopo ANC to support his political ambition to replace President Jacob Zuma as ANC leader and ultimately the head of state in 2019.

The ANC in the Vhembe district is allegedly rock-solid behind Ramaphosa.

ANC Vhembe secretary Khatu Netshifhefhe said the position of the region was still that Ramaphosa should succeed Zuma.

“It has been the culture of the ANC that once you are the deputy president you must be elevated to be the president,” he said. “In 2007, we said President Jacob Zuma must succeed former president Thabo Mbeki. We can’t change that now.”

He added that Ramaphosa would be a good leader.

Chief Livhuwani Matsila, said while traditional leaders were neutral in matters of leadership positions of political parties, “as the village we are proANC and therefore we would support any elected leader”.

“[But] we love Cyril,” he said.