theANCWomen’sLeagueat
herfarewelldinnerattheAU
in January: “It’s very impor-
tant for women to be mayors,
to be ministers, to be presidents,
to be everything.”
Perhaps Dlamini-Zuma’s biggest risk
is her ties to her ex-husband, whose
popularity is sinking as the corruption
allegations against him are mounting.
AneNCA/IpsossurveypublishedinMayshowed only 18% of voters want Zuma
to stay in the presidency. Revelations in
Mayfrommorethan2,000leakedemails
that showed the close ties between gov-
ernmentofficialsandtheGuptabrothers- alreadythe subject ofareport on‘state
capture’ by former public prosecutor
Thuli Madonsela – have angered many
more South Africans.
Dlamini-Zuma’sfailuretoexplainwhy
state regulations were flouted to assign
VIP police protection to her after her
return from the AU posting has grated.
She also plunged into another contro-
versywhenshesaidthatchildreninstate
schools were being taught anti-ANC
propaganda and that these schools
should be transformed. To many, that
is code for becoming less critical of the
governing party.
Soon afterwards, there was outrage
when a tweet appeared briefly on her
timeline condemning national demon-
strations against President Zuma as
“rubbish”. She claimed the tweet was
fake, but few believed it.
Doubtless Dlamini-Zuma’s stock is
falling in the eyes of the wider public,
but she has been wildly popular in the
ANC over the past decade and that is
the key factor when it comes to voting
for the party’s leader.
At the ANC’s elective conference in
2012Dlamini-Zumawonmoreindividual
votesthanherex-husband.Atthefiercely
foughtelectiveconferenceinPolokwane
fiveyearsearlier,shewonstrongsupport
from both of the rival factions: Mbeki’s
and Zuma’s. That is why some ANC of-
ficials back her as a unifying candidate,
which could be a key quality sought by
the nearly 5,000 voting delegates at this
year’s conference in December.CLAIMS OF FACTIONALISM
Dlamini Zuma has a track record as a
peacebroker:in2011shewasappointed
toresolvethesometimesviolentdisputes
overtheANC’scandidatesformunicipal
council elections. She acquitted herself
well according to Edna Molewa, a top
official in the ANC Women’s League:
“She was never vilified because of
how she communicated and
coordinated. She really un-
derstood and listened to
every problem. It was in
suchawaythatwasreally
lifting people up, moti-
vating them to go ahead.”
OtherANCmilitants,suchas
those among the ANC’s communist
and trade union allies – where there is
strong support for Cyril Ramaphosa to
become the next ANC president – see
Dlamini-Zumaasafactionalchoicedue
to her connection with Zuma. Young
Communist League national secretary
Mluleki Dlelanga says: “Whether you
callheranexornot,it’sstillaZuma.The
ANC is not for the Zuma family but for
the people of South Africa.”
DlelangaaddsthatDlamini-Zumalacks
thequalitiestounifytheparty,whichhad
become “highly corrupted and highly
factionalised”. Those who pushed for a
woman president were not sincere, he
concludes: “Her name was decided by
men. It’s not about the women. It’s just
a joke from the politics of factionalism.”
The point about factionalism could
provecriticalintheANCelections.Voter
choices may owe far more to delegates’
ties to a particular faction rather than
the candidate’s personal qualities, still
less the candidate’s political ideas.
Carien du PlessisCarien du Plessis is working on a
book about Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s
race to the ANC presidency.
GALLO IMAGES/CITY PRESS/MUNTU VILAKAZIWhatSouthAfricansaresayingaboutNkosazanaDlamini-Zuma“She is a step ahead of any potential
candidate or competitor like Cyril [Ramaphosa] or any another candidate.
Yes, she could become the president of ANC and the country but it means
the Premier League will have the totality of the top six [positions] of the ANC [...]
She might be the president without the power. She has to learn to love
the Premier League agenda. There is no other way.”
Writer and political analyst Ralph Mathekga
“After careful consideration and opening
our eyes as wide as possible, Cde Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
is the only suitable candidate at this point in our history to lead
the African National Congress in December 2017.”
African National Congress (ANC)
Women’s League official statement“It was a very powerful address
by Mam [Nkosazana Dlamini-] Zuma. It resonated with students
and the audience in KwaZulu-Natal. We were impressed by her radicalism
and she reminded us of how important education is.”
ANC Youth League spokesman Njabulo Nzuza“She has her resumé and some people
feel she is the right person. We respect that.
Is she genuine? She really cannot think we take her seriously
with this radical economic transformation talk.”
Sizwe Pamla, speaking on behalf of the Congress
of South African Trade UnionsThe #Zumaleaks emails revealed
links between Ajay and Atul Gupta (L)
and Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane (R)POLITICS 39