Who will be the new president?

No matter what the polls say, the ANC will still be the majority party even without the 50% + they are trying to convince their supporters that they will achieve.

This is going to be a testing time for Cyril Ramaphosa, assuming he is not removed by the party for failure to keep the ANC above 50%.

Below 50%, he is going to have to negotiate with another party or parties to have a governing coalition.

However, the smaller party or parties involved are going to want their pound of flesh in the form of a deputy president position or at least significant portfolio positions in cabinet.

This is likely to mean that there will be no reduction in the size of the cabinet as the ANC will want to appease a lot of current ministers. I guess if the DA were to coalesce with the ANC, there could be a reduction but not with parties like the EFF or MK.

But assuming Ramaphosa gets the boot and spends his days reupholstering his couches at Phala Phala, who will the ANC put forward as president? The stench of corruption and maladministration is such that there are literally no suitable candidates.

Even Paul Mashatile is applying more deodorant than normal as a lifestyle audit will reflect that he may not be the Mr Clean he tries to project.

However, there may be a great opportunity in the form of minister Naledi Pandor. She has stature, experience, international exposure and acceptance and is very intelligent.

It would be a fantastic opportunity to have a woman president and who has no smell of corruption about her.

It’s so sad that we have so little clean presidential talent in the ANC but it is what it is. Hopefully the horse trading will leave SA with some credibility at the end of the day.