RANJENI MUNUSAMY: Strategic failures that may cost Ramaphosa the presidency
'Ramaphosa closed the door on negotiations with other candidates and big players in the race. The message he sent out was that he was not open to trade-offs for support'
Irrespective of whether Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa wins the ANC elective this weekend or not, there are some hard questions he must reflect on about how he fought the battle. One of these questions is why he announced his leadership slate when it made no favourable impact on his campaign. The second question is why he announced an economic plan called the "New Deal" when the conference will not engage on it and it made no tangible impression on ANC delegates.
These are some of the strategic errors in a messy and hard-fought battle for leadership of the ANC. As the presidential race reached its peak at the weekend, the two frontrunners, Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, both projected an air of confidence that they would emerge victorious. But behind the scenes, there is still frantic lobbying by their respective campaigns to secure endorsements from other candidates whose presidential bids fizzled out, and the support of the "unity delegates". The ANC's 54th national...
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