Embattled South African president Cyril Ramaphosa had a fight for his political life at the ANC’s 55th elective conference over the weekend, with Zweli Mkhize as his biggest rival in the battle for the North West.
The area is a Ramaphosa support base but switched sides along the line, picking the president’s closest rival Mkhize, who is also backed by KwaZulu-Natal, as the man for them.
Given the lack of support, President Ramaphosa ultimately lost the North West votes. Ordinarily, that would have been a cause for grief. But in a sense, the president doesn’t have much to worry about.
He may have lost an area with an impressive vote bag, but then, he ultimately beat his rival to clinch a second term as the ANC leader.
In politics, the ultimate counts even more than side wins. Whoever wins ultimately is assumed victorious and also, ultimately, has the last laugh. And that’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The win will especially annoy those who have been championing for his resignation or ouster following the Phala Phala Farm scandal. Millions in foreign currency had reportedly vanished in a heist in the facility in 2020 and the president failed, according to former police chief Arthur Fraser, to inform the police, which
