Cat among the pigeons: David Mabuza has clearly not used up all his lives yet. Word is the former premier of Mpumalanga may run for another term as deputy president, which would put him on a collision course with other contenders. Photo: Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images
ANC deputy president David Mabuza appears ready to stand for a second term, despite earlier speculation that he might quit politics because of ill health.
Those close to the former Mpumalanga premier say that the Cat, as Mabuza is known, has another life in him and is ready to stand.
The move could potentially place pressure on his relationship with longtime ally, ANC treasurer Paul Mashatile, who wants the party deputy president position, ending the political bromance between the last standing members of the so-called Premier League that dominated the party for a decade.
After what many have considered a long-coming severing of his political hold over his Mpumalanga, Mabuza has told the Mail & Guardian that he would have loved to deliver the opening address to officially hand over the reins to those who would take the province forward.
Mabuza is said to have been outmanoeuvred by Mashatile when he was excluded from the Mpumalanga conference, giving rise to speculation that there are cracks in the relationship between the two.
In an exclusive interview with the M&G amid whispers about his possible contestation of the two highest offices in the ANC, Mabuza said he doesn’t want to participate in anti-ANC tendencies and would rather leave it up to the branches to decide his fate.
Just this week, his long-standing ally, former Ehlanzeni ANC regional chairperson Ngrayi Ngwenya, reportedly said Mabuza would emerge as the ANC president.
City Press reported that while addressing a meeting in a packed hall in Nkomazi sub-region near Malelane, Ngwenya suggested that Mabuza would be supported by the region.
Mabuza has remained silent about his prospects of returning to his position as ANC deputy president or even contesting the ANC presidency, telling the M&G that “it is the branches that choose leaders and not the individual leaders themselves”.
“No one gets elected to take a leadership role in the ANC on the basis of raising a hand and declaring that one is available. It’s just un-ANC. Leaders in the ANC are nominated and elected by branches, on whose behest they serve,” he said.
But Mabuza told journalists last year that he was available.
He may have a tough battle ahead should he choose to contest in the ANC’s December conference, with many in the party, including his former ally Mashatile, expected to gun for the deputy president position.
Mashatile and Mabuza are said to have worked to bring their two provinces together in the days ahead of the Nasrec conference in 2017 and continued doing so as officials in the ANC’s top six.
At times, they have been accused of frustrating those aligned to Ramaphosa in implementing resolutions such as the contentious step-aside rule. But their relationship is said to have taken strain over Mashatile’s ambitions.
Mashatile and his lobby group have been labelled the kingmakers and are slowly consolidating their base across provinces.
Zweli Mkhize, another former ally of Mabuza, has also been touted for the position of ANC president, running against Ramaphosa. Mkhize is said to be consolidating his numbers in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal despite reports of an imminent arrest.
Some ANC insiders say that should Mabuza choose to avail himself for a top six position, he may face the arduous task of convincing his home province to back him. But his backers dismiss this assertion as “laughable”, maintaining that Mabuza still enjoys support from rural branches in the province.
His backers have also said that the outcome of the recent Mpumalanga conference was largely because the province was left rudderless when Mabuza ascended to the number two national position in the ANC.
Once the second most powerful province in the ANC, Mpumalanga’s status deteriorated when those left in the wake of Mabuza’s reign jostled for power. Factions in the provincial executive committee led to it sinking from its kingmaker status after it helped to usher in Ramaphosa’s presidency.
The newly elected Mpumalanga chairperson, Mandla Ndlovu — who is said to be aligned to another Mabuza protégé, Ronald Lamola — has already declared support for Ramaphosa for a second term.
Insiders say suspended ANC secretary general Ace Magashule’s tentacles and influence is also present in Mabuza’s home province. Mabuza’s backers have also told the M&G that what they call a premature pronouncement by Ndlovu is meaningless because it does not reflect the views of branches.
Mabuza told M&G he would have loved to officially bid Mpumalanga farewell because he was the last chairperson of the province. But this task was left to Mashatile, who preached unity and warned against those trying to divide the ANC.
Although he wasn’t the official given the task to address the conference, the M&G understands an invitation was extended to Mabuza to attend as a former chairperson, but he did not do so.
“It is incorrect that I have ever opted to abstain from participating in organisational activities of the ANC, including either the opening or closing of the Mpumalanga conference as you have pointed out,” Mabuza told the M&G.
“The correct position is that the secretary general’s office [SGO], which is currently led by the treasurer general, is the one responsible for deploying different officials to perform different functions at different organisational occasions. As former chairperson of the ANC in Mpumalanga, one would naturally have expected an opportunity to hand over the baton to the new provincial leadership of the ANC. However, I understand that the SGO’s office decided differently,” he said.
Mabuza’s detractors have questioned his state of health following two trips to Russia for medical treatment since becoming the deputy president of the country. Questions about his health have also been used by lobbyists acting for other potential candidates to defuse his possible campaign for a second term.
Mabuza’s special adviser, General Mulangi Mphego, has sought to discredit any speculation about Mabuza’s health, telling the M&G: “The deputy president is as healthy as any 60-year-old. He is able to fulfil both his ANC and government programme without strain. His doctors are very happy with his health.”
With a constant battle between those who are for and against Ramaphosa, divisions in the ANC continue despite its leadership preaching unity. This has been evident in some of the recent provincial and regional conferences, where the party has failed to manage strong differences.
Attempts by national leaders to reconcile opposing factions have failed, with most outcomes at conferences being winner-take-all scenarios.
The step-aside rule has further deepened factional lines, with some leaders accusing each other of trying to destroy the party as well as the role of certain senior members.
Mabuza believes that the unity ticket “remains sacrosanct” for the ANC, despite the ruling party having to go back to the drawing board after branches defied the step-aside ruling by nominating and electing those affected by it.
“As leader of society, it is important for the ANC to continuously strive to project a united and purposeful image to the society that it leads. We therefore understand that forging unity within a vibrant, dynamic and democratic organisation that the ANC is, will always be work in progress,” Mabuza said.
“As leaders, we must be patient with the pace at which we are able to bring different opinions closer to each other. We all want to see seamless progress in relation to the unity and renewal project, and therefore cannot despair and tear ourselves apart every time these projects hit a snag. The unity of the ANC is central to the sustenance of our democratic order. We must never tire to pursue unity.”
This snag could be the apparent rejection of the step-aside rule that saw branches electing leaders such as eThekwini heavyweight Zandile Gumede and Mpumalanga provincial treasurer Mandla Msibi despite their facing criminal charges.
The ANC had to amend its step-aside rule shortly after Gumede and Msibi were elected, resolving that those facing charges could not contest elective conferences.
The step-aside rule is set to be a point of contention when the party goes to its policy and national conferences, with some branches already indicating that they would call for a repeal of the rule because it has been abused to fight political battles.
Another drawback in the ANC’s unity and renewal programme has been the recent revelations in the Zondo Commission Report on state capture, which has implicated many senior ANC leaders including Deputy Minister of State Security Zizi Kodwa and Gwede Mantashe, the minister of mineral resources and energy. These party leaders are seen as integral to Ramaphosa’s ambitions to be ANC president for a second term.
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