RAMAPHOSA HAS ALL QUALITIES FOR TOP JOB

THE battle for the ANC presidential succession is under way.

I contend that the ANC presidential election should be transparent and competitive in accordance with the party’s constitution and traditions.

However, at this juncture, the ANC needs a president who will unify the fractured tripartite alliance, civic movement, and the nation.

A leader who is a unifier, nonracialist and visionary should emerge and ascend to the throne. Party deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa exhibits these leadership requirements and his track record speaks for itself.

Having successfully formed and organised the National Union of Mineworkers in the 1980s and unified workers with varying ethnic identities and migrants from neighbouring countries such as Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia plus being elected the first secretary-general of the unified ANC after its unbanning in the 1991 conference held in Durban, Ramaphosa should not fear a presidential contest. He knows the party inside out. He should make himself available and contest the presidential nomination when the process officially opens.

Bearing in mind that he is one of the architects of our constitution, which is now revered as one of the most progressive and liberal constitutions in the modern world. The constitution remains a shining example of the birth of constitutional democracy crafted to heal the divisions of the past and honour the sacrifices made by ordinary citizens. As a constitutionalist, one would vouch that he will strive to uphold and defend the constitution as the supreme law of the land in the mould of Nelson Mandela.

The party and the country yearns for a president who will work tirelessly to revitalise our ailing economy, reposition South Africa as one of the leading and prosperous nations in the SADC region, the continent and the globe. More significantly, help unravel gross inefficiencies, wasteful expenditure and misuse of resources, and the patronage prevalent in some of our state institutions, agencies and entities.

Ramaphosa is therefore one of the tried and tested leaders of the ANC; he is positioned to tackle the perennial governance challenges facing our country and bring the much-needed hope to the economically marginalised sectors of our population. These include the unemployed, urban and rural poor, struggling entrepreneurs, farmers and students in higher education.

Having been active in the civic movement (UDF), labour, business and politics, he is by far the strongest candidate to assume a leading role in the ANC. He needs to revive and reconnect with the constituencies and comrades that catapulted him to the secretary-general’s position in 1991, when he defeated Alfred Nzo. And, more importantly, he needs to build a broad-based support within the rank and file of the ANC ahead of the December conference. Furthermore, he should begin articulating a distinguishable presidential image. He should be visible, vociferous and bold through creating his own platforms so as to shape his presidential campaign within the party structures and outside.

The strength of his presidency should he emerge victorious will lie with the calibre and qualities of the collective to be elected by the branches in the December conference. The rich culture of ANC internal democracy needs to be restored and branches of the ANC hold the key to achieve this task.

The outcome of the 2016 August local government elections should be the yardstick used by the branches and they must begin to ask a crucial question whether he will be able to unite the fractured ANC and become the face of government that the majority can identify with post the 2017 December conference.

“He’s positioned to tackle governance challenges “He should be visible, vociferous and bold