Paul Mashatile’s dilemma
New dynamics in the ANC mean that it is by no means certain that being the deputy will translate into inevitable succession to the presidency
07 November 2024 - 05:00
The role of deputy president is not a glamorous one, especially in the ANC. If you hold that position you have no reliable power base and serve at the pleasure of the president, which means that he can fire you. Former president Thabo Mbeki did just that to Jacob Zuma in 2005 after a corruption scandal.
Cyril Ramaphosa was deputy president from 2012 under Zuma and during his tenure he was passive and lacklustre, to say the least. And the country barely remembers former deputy president David Mabuza (2018-2023), who spent considerable time in Russia due to ill health...
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