Who do you think will be next president of the ANC?

[stephanfx]

I also thought about this maybe just being a ploy to discredited Zuma in the ANC... I don't know much about politics, but it looks like Zuma is now in for round two (Round one being the corruption scandal).

[duncan drennan]

Is Sexwale the ideal "compromise candidate"?

Tokyo Sexwale may prove not to be the last word on the subject; it is still entirely plausible that someone else will appear from the smoke and mirrors that constitute the unwritten lore of the ANC’s culture of leadership selection. I can think of three very obvious potential candidates whose credentials match or better those of Sexwale. One has the initials “CR� and the other two “TM� (and neither is the current president).

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Indeed, it is precisely because he [Sexwale] would represent such a breath of fresh air compared to the current leader’s neurotic approach, and its knock-on effect on the style of government, that many will support him.

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Zuma will not be the next president because the establishment simply will not countenance it. Mbeki will respect the constitutional two-term limit, and once the threat of a Zuma presidency (of the ANC and thence the country) is finally put to sleep, the one pragmatic justification for him remaining president of the ANC will thankfully dissipate.

Full story on M&G Online

[Dave A]

Reading the article, we might be missing two TM's in that poll.

[duncan drennan]

Reading the article, we might be missing two TM's in that poll.

But who are they??

[Dave A]

Trevor Manuel for one.

Somehow I don't think the other would be Tim Modise...

[Dave A]

Another article from M&G adding grist to the mill.

South African President Thabo Mbeki is facing mounting threats to his widely perceived plan to retain influence after he stands down as head of state.

The presidential succession debate has already plunged the African National Congress (ANC) into some of its worst factional turmoil since it led South Africa from apartheid to multiracial elections in 1994.

Now Mbeki -- accused by critics of promoting big business at the expense of the poor -- faces a direct challenge from provincial ANC branches pushing to remove him from the party's leadership race.

South Africa's Constitution forbids Mbeki from serving as president for a third term when his current stint ends in 2009.

But many political analysts believe he will go for a new term to remain head of the ANC at its congress in December.

This would give him a big say on who becomes the next national president and thereby set South Africa's political agenda for years to come.

And near the end of the article

Mbeki's critics accuse him of undermining democracy by personally appointing provincial premiers, a view shared by Sipho Seepe, a director of the Graduate Institute of Management and Technology.

But Seepe says the struggle between the methodical Mbeki and Zuma, a man who is banking on grassroots support, is not really about democracy. Rather, it highlights a political problem in the country 13 years after its first all-race elections.

"People back politicians because they like them not because they have the qualifications. South African politics need to evolve into a merit system."

The latest party manoeuvring could open the door for a compromise candidate to lead the ANC with former political prisoner and multimillionaire businessman Tokyo Sexwale saying he could be a contender.
full story from M&G here

[Debbiedle]

My question is whether this poll result shows a wish list rather than a real contender? I personally think Sexwale is a VERY viable candidate from a business perspective?

[duncan drennan]

My question is whether this poll result shows a wish list rather than a real contender? I personally think Sexwale is a VERY viable candidate from a business perspective?

I think the voting would show that a lot of people visiting here think the same way.

What I was trying to get at (originally) was who people think is most likely to be the next ANC president.

[Dave A]

And my vote, for the time being, stays firmly in my pocket - because at this point I've got absolutely no idea.

[duncan drennan]

And my vote, for the time being, stays firmly in my pocket - because at this point I've got absolutely no idea.

Just like the rest of the nation.....