By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has once again highlighted the principle that no one is allowed to engage or promote themselves in the name of the party for any position in the build-up to the 2027 national conference.
Mbalula was speaking in the Eastern Cape on Friday night at the 9th Chris Hani regional conference, which elected its executive without any contestation.
He reiterated calls from the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) not to engage in succession talks.
“If we don’t come back in 2026, it will clearly define what will happen in 2029. Why are comrades obsessed with who must lead in 2027 when we are in so much mud.”
“They just want us to talk about the (2027) leadership contest when we said we must wait and will have enough time to talk about it in the organisation. And that is what is important to all of as an organisation at the present moment. If we don’t do that, we will be faster out of power than expected,” warned Mbalula.
Mbalula also questioned talk of the billionare, Patrice Motsepe, who is currently president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
He added that he was not even sure if Motsepe was an ANC member in good standing, but admitted that the businessman did donate to the party handsomely.
“ANC is not like running a football club and all of that. You work for it. This is not like (Mamelodi) Sundowns or (Orlando) Pirates.”
Mbalula said that if Motsepe was interested, he must raise his hand and show himself within the ANC structures because those who were campaigning were irritating “like raw meat in your throat”.
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.
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.
Motsepe was born in South Africa in the early 1960s, where he grew up in Ga-Rankuwa during the height of Apartheid oppression.
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.
The leadership race is in full swing despite warnings from Mbalula.
While it is not clear who will contest the position of the president at the electoral conference in 2027, there is plenty of well-informed speculation that candidates could include Deputy President Paul Mashatile, International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and Mbalula.
The ANC’s voter share dropped to 40% in the 2024 general elections, raising concerns about its performance in the upcoming local elections.
As part of rebuilding its structures, the party resorted to disbanding two of its largest provinces — KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng — and replacing them with provincial task teams mandated with eradicating corruption and poor service delivery.
The disbandment has also sparked criticism of Mbalula, with provincial leaders accusing him of using the party’s election results to advance his presidential ambitions.
In 2023, during an ANC Youth League elective congress at Nasrec, Mbalula said some in the party had encouraged him to run for president in 2027. But he rejected the idea, stating that it would distract him from his responsibilities as party secretary-general.
Mbalula also raised concerns about the alliance partners, the SACP and Cosatu, saying they appeared to be set on leaving the alliance.
He warned that this would further cost the ANC at the polls if the SACP went ahead and contested for state power.
Mbalula said it appeared that the horse had already bolted and the alliance partners were going around in circles. SACP candidates were contesting by-elections despite an agreement that this resolution would be discussed by Tripartite Alliance.