Zuma’s missteps could help Ramaphosa stroll into the Presidency
The deputy president’s biggest electoral asset may be his increasingly unpopular boss
Cyril Ramaphosa’s campaign to become SA’s next president has gone into overdrive. After months of playing coy about his aspirations to become the next leader of the ruling ANC, the deputy president has started crisscrossing the country speaking out against corruption. He has picked up endorsements from unions, church leaders and some of the ANC’s most respected leaders, including former president Kgalema Motlanthe and ex-finance minister Pravin Gordhan. Ramaphosa’s biggest electoral asset may be his boss, the increasingly unpopular President Jacob Zuma, who’s indicated that he wants to be succeeded by Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, his ex-wife and former head of the African Union Commission. While Dlamini-Zuma initially appeared to be the front-runner in the race, the balance of power seemed to have shifted on May 1 when persistent booing forced Zuma to cancel an address at a Cosatu rally in the Free State, one of his traditional strongholds. "People are fed up, they are quite unhappy with...
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