BY LULAMILE FENI and MAMELA GOWA
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidential ambitions received a boost over the weekend when he was publicly endorsed by Eastern Cape ANC provincial chairman Phumulo Masualle, as well as business and religious leaders in the OR Tambo region.
Masualle, United Methodist Church of Southern Africa Clarkebury district and the OR Tambo Chamber of Business (ORTCB) declared their support for Ramaphosa at a fundraising gala dinner organised by the church and the ANC OR Tambo region in Mthatha on Friday night.
Earlier on Friday, Ramaphosa met traditional leaders in Bhisho. While they did not publicly declare their support for him, he would have tried to convince them to throw their weight behind him.
While Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe and former ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa’s names have been bandied about, Ramaphosa and former African Union chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma have emerged as front runners to replace President Jacob Zuma as the party’s president in December.
By extension, whoever succeeds Zuma will be the country’s president if the ANC wins the 2019 elections.
At the gala event, Masualle sang Ramaphosa’s praises, saying his ascendancy to the top ANC job would be a good idea.
“If we want a president we could not look any further. He has been a disciplined deputy president.
“I am sure that what you are saying is correct. If we could be asked to look for a president, we cannot look any further, unless we do not know what we are doing.
“He has proved himself to be capable. He is a very reliable person and very humble,” Masualle said to huge applause.
Speaker after speaker referred to Ramaphosa as the next president.
“After the December conference, we will be waiting anxiously for you as the president to deliver January 8 statement,” ORTCB chairman Vuyisile Ntlabati said.
The church’s Bishop Thanduxolo Gqoboka and other church leaders also gave Ramaphosa the thumbs up.
“It has been the trend and tradition within the ANC that it has always been the deputy who takes the baton and become the president.
“We pray the ANC keep that tradition for the sake of consistency and peace,” Gqoboka said.
But Zuma has publicly dismissed that whoever is the party’s deputy president should be president, saying there was no such resolution.
The church is raising funds to build a R5-million multi-purpose centre that will, among others, provide sports and recreational facilities, a gymnasium, offices and conference facilities. It will also offer maths and science curriculum support to pupils.
Ramaphosa committed R150000 towards the project while Masualle’s commitment was not disclosed.
Ramaphosa said it was important for religious leaders to be actively involved in society, instead of being onlookers.
“The church should not sit back and watch the decay of our society and our state. It should not sit back and see a few people just looting the resources of our country in the most gross manner,” he said.
Ramaphosa said if the church fought against corruption with the same vigour it dismantled apartheid, it would do the same in preserving morality.
He said the recent policy conference’s outcome should bring hope to people.
Being downgraded to junk status and experiencing recession was heartbreaking, Ramaphosa added.
“We need leaders who will take us out of this quagmire. Leaders of this country must find another way to boost our economy. We have put ourselves into this deep problem, we must admit that.
“We brought the trouble unto our own selves. We must therefore dig our way out of this deep hole.”
Meanwhile, Masualle yesterday positioned himself as the servant of ANC members in the province when he told hundreds of party supporters that he would go wherever the members told him he to go.
He was addressing a packed East London City Hall during the party’s cadres forum.
“This is not the work we choose for ourselves, it depends on the preference of branches and because I gave myself up to the party, if I am told to go this way I will go that direction and if I’m told to stay here I will stay here,” Masualle said.
As part of his address he once again emphasised the ANC branches must not fix what is not broken.
Masualle will be up against provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane for the chairmanship in September when the party elects a new provincial executive committee.
He wants a third term while Mabuyane’s supporters have said Masualle should be elevated to the national executive committee. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za / mamelag@dispatch.co.za
E Cape gives a boost for Ramaphosa
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidential ambitions received a boost over the weekend when he was publicly endorsed by Eastern Cape ANC provincial chairman Phumulo Masualle, as well as business and religious leaders in the OR Tambo region.
Masualle, United Methodist Church of Southern Africa Clarkebury district and the OR Tambo Chamber of Business (ORTCB) declared their support for Ramaphosa at a fundraising gala dinner organised by the church and the ANC OR Tambo region in Mthatha on Friday night.
Earlier on Friday, Ramaphosa met traditional leaders in Bhisho. While they did not publicly declare their support for him, he would have tried to convince them to throw their weight behind him.
While Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe and former ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa’s names have been bandied about, Ramaphosa and former African Union chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma have emerged as front runners to replace President Jacob Zuma as the party’s president in December.
By extension, whoever succeeds Zuma will be the country’s president if the ANC wins the 2019 elections.
At the gala event, Masualle sang Ramaphosa’s praises, saying his ascendancy to the top ANC job would be a good idea.
“If we want a president we could not look any further. He has been a disciplined deputy president.
“I am sure that what you are saying is correct. If we could be asked to look for a president, we cannot look any further, unless we do not know what we are doing.
“He has proved himself to be capable. He is a very reliable person and very humble,” Masualle said to huge applause.
Speaker after speaker referred to Ramaphosa as the next president.
“After the December conference, we will be waiting anxiously for you as the president to deliver January 8 statement,” ORTCB chairman Vuyisile Ntlabati said.
The church’s Bishop Thanduxolo Gqoboka and other church leaders also gave Ramaphosa the thumbs up.
“It has been the trend and tradition within the ANC that it has always been the deputy who takes the baton and become the president.
“We pray the ANC keep that tradition for the sake of consistency and peace,” Gqoboka said.
But Zuma has publicly dismissed that whoever is the party’s deputy president should be president, saying there was no such resolution.
The church is raising funds to build a R5-million multi-purpose centre that will, among others, provide sports and recreational facilities, a gymnasium, offices and conference facilities. It will also offer maths and science curriculum support to pupils.
Ramaphosa committed R150000 towards the project while Masualle’s commitment was not disclosed.
Ramaphosa said it was important for religious leaders to be actively involved in society, instead of being onlookers.
“The church should not sit back and watch the decay of our society and our state. It should not sit back and see a few people just looting the resources of our country in the most gross manner,” he said.
Ramaphosa said if the church fought against corruption with the same vigour it dismantled apartheid, it would do the same in preserving morality.
He said the recent policy conference’s outcome should bring hope to people.
Being downgraded to junk status and experiencing recession was heartbreaking, Ramaphosa added.
“We need leaders who will take us out of this quagmire. Leaders of this country must find another way to boost our economy. We have put ourselves into this deep problem, we must admit that.
“We brought the trouble unto our own selves. We must therefore dig our way out of this deep hole.”
Meanwhile, Masualle yesterday positioned himself as the servant of ANC members in the province when he told hundreds of party supporters that he would go wherever the members told him he to go.
He was addressing a packed East London City Hall during the party’s cadres forum.
“This is not the work we choose for ourselves, it depends on the preference of branches and because I gave myself up to the party, if I am told to go this way I will go that direction and if I’m told to stay here I will stay here,” Masualle said.
As part of his address he once again emphasised the ANC branches must not fix what is not broken.
Masualle will be up against provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane for the chairmanship in September when the party elects a new provincial executive committee.
He wants a third term while Mabuyane’s supporters have said Masualle should be elevated to the national executive committee. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za / mamelag@dispatch.co.za
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