Senior ANC members want to convince the billionaire Patrice Motsepe to make himself available to stand as the party’s next president.
Rapport cited two well-placed sources who said many ANC members have been trying to convince Motsepe to enter politics for some time.
They have even designed a flyer with Motsepe as incoming ANC President, Senzo Mchunu as incoming Deputy President, and Oscar Mabuyane as incoming Secretary General.
However, the sources highlighted that it is still early days and that there is a long road ahead before the next ANC National Conference in 2027.
Sunday World reported that the leadership race is in full swing despite warnings from ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula.
Mbalula highlighted the principle that no one is allowed to engage or promote themselves in the name of the ANC for any position in the build-up to the 2027 national conference.
“Anyone engaging in leadership contestations and discussions outside the agreed approach will face the consequences and be subjected to disciplinary processes,” he said.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, and Fikile Mbalula are other potential candidates for the ANC president position.
WHO IS PATRICE MOTSEPE?
Billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe is a dark horse in the race for ANC President. However, this is not far-fetched.
Motsepe has close ties with the ANC and has supported the political party for decades. He is also President Cyril Ramaphosa’s brother-in-law.
He has built an incredible business empire with assets in mining, the finance industry, telecommunications, and sports.
His business success belies the fact that he had a humble upbringing without the luxuries many of his fellow billionaires enjoyed as children.
Motsepe was born in South Africa in the early 1960s, where he grew up in Ga-Rankuwa during the height of Apartheid oppression.
His father was a schoolteacher and owned a tuck shop. Here, Motsepe was taught basic business skills. He was also exposed to miners, who often frequented the store.
This helped him to create a business empire which stretches across Africa, with a strong focus on mining.
His business acumen has been widely recognised, and in 2002, the chief executive officers of the top 100 companies in South Africa voted him South Africa’s Business Leader of the Year.
He also won the Ernst & Young Best Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2017, Forbes Magazine honoured Motsepe as one of the “100 Greatest Living Business Minds” in the world.
Motsepe’s success in the business world and his humble roots will resonate with South Africa’s voting population, especially through his ties with soccer.
He is the president and owner of the Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club and was elected president of the Confederation of African Football in 2021.
These organisations are considered well run and successful, and voters will see Motsepe as having the potential to translate this success into the political world.
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