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.
Olat4421: Where is d South African guy Rand digital or what is his name he only post d favorite, good and attractive side of his country to make it seems there country is perfect, Dey play
Stop lying. I follow his posts.. anyway, how could he present the country as "perfect" while we all know perfection doesnt exist?
etrange: But Lagos clearly has more infrastructure. Anyone that has been to both cities in recent time knows this. When one says a city has more infrastructure, it doesn’t necessarily make it a better city. New York has more infrastructure than Toronto. Toronto is still a better city by a lot of indices.
etrange: There’s a difference between liveability and infrastructural development. Many cities in Nigeria are more liveable than Lagos. Does it mean they have more infrastructure than Lagos?
The comparison was between Nairobi and Lagos. National sentiment aside, Nairobi is a far better city in virtually all indices..
etrange: I’ve been to both cities and I can confidently say that Lagos of today has more infrastructure and larger scale projects than Nairobi. I only spent a few days in Nairobi, so in order not to be baised, I also did a brief googling and the results say the same. The only main challenge Kagos has is power. Nairobi is far more liveable than Lagos, but Lagos has more infrastructure.
Bro stop dreaming please. Lagos has been voted the worst place to live on many occasions.. stop fooling yourself
Foreign Affairs › Re: Billionaire & CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, Touted As SA's Next President -PIX by KingCold: 8:14am On May 10, 2025
