President Cyril Ramaphosa’s clean-up campaign has been dealt a massive blow by his own party, with those directly implicated in state capture and corruption featuring high on the ANC’s list of potential MPs. Political parties had until 5pm on Wednesday to submit their lists of candidates for national and provincial government and to pay their deposit to contest the elections. When it comes to the compilation of the lists, Ramaphosa’s hands are tied as nominations follow a party process, and the list may be seen as a reflection of his struggle to impose his authority on the party after narrowly winning the leadership. While it is still the president’s prerogative to select his cabinet, if the ANC wins the May elections, the presence of controversial figures linked with some of the excesses of the Zuma presidency, which Ramaphosa has dubbed "wasted years", may undermine his "new dawn" narrative, which has been credited with the party’s improved electoral prospects. The ANC has not mad...

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