South Africa’s deeply divided ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), nominated two candidates for election as the party’s next leader at the party congress yesterday.
The party wants former health minister Zweli Mkhize to run against President Cyril Ramaphosa. The latter had sent his opponent on special leave last year over corruption allegations. Ramaphosa is also under pressure after a major cash discovery on his farm north of Johannesburg became known.
Five-day conference deepens divergence
The five-day conference deepened the divide between the two rival power blocs around current President Ramaphosa and former President Jacob Zuma. The challenger Mkhize, who belongs to Zuma’s faction, had already faced Ramaphosa in 2017.
In elections since the end of apartheid in 1994, the respective leader of the ANC party has also been seen as a clear winner in the race for president. However, accusations of corruption and nepotism regularly rock the ANC. The party is currently the most unpopular of all time and is in danger of losing its majority in parliament in the 2024 elections.