ANALYSIS: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s huge ambition leads her to gamble … and lose
She could have accepted the Zuma camp nomination for ANC national chairperson in 2007, to bridge the divide between the two camps, but she is not at all interested in being a bridge builder
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is one of the most curious characters in South African politics. Yes‚ she got people to stop smoking inside and was Robin when Thabo Mbeki was Batman‚ trying to rescue the African continent‚ so she has a few gold stars on her CV. But her manoeuvres and leanings in the ANC give insight into a wily and extremely ambitious player‚ who tends to trip up because of the gambles she takes. Dlamini-Zuma is heading to Parliament now‚ which could fast-track her political career or see her become a washed-out politician sitting in Cabinet to keep up appearances. In 2007‚ ahead of the ANC’s Polokwane conference‚ Dlamini-Zuma was playing both sides of the factional war. She was nominated by both the Mbeki and Jacob Zuma camps for top six positions. The Zuma camp nominated Dlamini-Zuma for the position of national chairperson and she scored the deputy president post on the Mbeki slate. She chose the latter. Had the Mbeki camp won‚ as Dlamini-Zuma had assumed it would‚ she wo...
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