Dlamini-Zuma is going toe-to-toe with Cyril Ramaphosa for the leadership
Dlamini-Zuma is going toe-to-toe with Cyril Ramaphosa for the leadership
A poll conducted by the Institute of Race Relations has given Cyril Ramaphosa an imposing lead over his nearest competition to become ANC President, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
The results hold a rather high significance: this is no opinion poll. The IRR asked ANC branches across the country who they were going to nominate. The results are seen as a clear indicator as to which path the ruling party will take.
Cyril Ramaphosa takes a huge lead
The survey put Ramaphosa at 65%, almost two-thirds of the vote. NDZ is a whopping 35 percentage points behind, with 30% saying she gets their vote. Zweli Mkhize is the definition of an outside bet; the ANC Treasurer General is the preferred candidate for almost 5% of those questioned.
However, we may have to take these results with a thin pinch of salt. ANC delegates have the power to vote differently at December’s Elective Conference. Just because their branch have endorsed a candidate, that does not mean the individual can’t switch allegiances.
Furthermore, the IRR said its data suggested 74% of ANC branches had made nominations and cautioned that it had not been able to corroborate its findings.
Dlamini-Zuma remains confident despite poll numbers
Dlamini-Zuma herself is choosing not to read into it too much either. Of the remaining 26% branches, NDZ has said that ‘most of them are sympathetic’ towards her. She expects to eat away at Cyril Ramaphosa’s lead in the coming weeks.
More than 5,000 delegates will get to cast their vote at the December conference. Despite serving as the Deputy President, Ramaphosa is widely accepted as the candidate that will steer South Africa away from Zuma-ism. CR is seen as a more ‘moral’ choice, and a man with a wise business acumen he can transfer to leadership.
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is perhaps cursed by her name. But she does also seem to embody the same unscrupulous values of ex-Husband Jacob. Her plans for an even more radical version of Radical Economic Transformation are polarising supporters, but she expects to seriously challenge for leadership on 18th December.
