Watch this quiet man: the ANC's dark-horse candidate Zweli Mkhize
In the wake of the latest Pravin Gordhan drama, ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize is increasingly being seen as someone who could play a crucial role in the organisation’s elective conference in December
Zweli Mkhize, the softly spoken and deliberate ANC treasurer-general, seems intent on putting as much distance as possible between himself and the wrecking ball that is President Jacob Zuma. Mkhize (61), once seen as the most loyal of Zuma’s supporters, burnt bridges when he showed himself to be one of those deeply critical of Zuma’s move to replace finance minister Nhlanhla Nene with the little-known David Des van Rooyen back in December 2015. Due in no small part to behind-the-scenes lobbying by Mkhize, Jeff Radebe and others, Zuma was forced to backtrack and reappointed Pravin Gordhan as finance minister. It’s a wound that clearly still rankles with Zuma. Last year Zuma told a Gauteng ANC gathering that even those closest to him had not backed him when he had chosen a finance minister — a move which insiders saw as a direct swipe at Mkhize. In an interview with the Financial Mail, Mkhize put further distance between himself and Zuma over the touchy issue of land reform. "A lot of...
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