Patrice Motsepe's ANC presidential campaign kicks off, but South Africans have questions
- A viral video promoted Patrice Motsepe's ANC presidential campaign despite his public denial
- Over 50,000 campaign T-shirts were created, costing more than R2 million for Motsepe's bid
- There was mixed support within ANC for Motsepe, with some members questioning his party membership
Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international politics, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.
Source: Getty Images
GAUTENG — Mamelodi Sundowns owner and Confederation of African Football Chairperson Patrice Motsepe's campaign to be the president of the African National Congress (ANC) has kicked off. However, South Africans have misgivings about the possibility of Motsepe as a president after senior members of the party backed him in 2025.
A video Sunday World shared on its X account shows an unidentified person holding a T-shirt with the words "PM 27 Savumelana manufactured in a T-shirt printing plant. The video then shows workers sorting the T-shirts. One worker holds a T-shirt up to show the camera operator. The video then shows an unconfirmed number of bags holding different T-shirts in different colours.
A look at Patrice Motsepe's campaign
According to Sunday World, Bejani Chauke, who was involved in the successful CR17 campaign that secured his presidency, is involved in the campaign. The video was taken in Johannesburg, and more than 50,000 T-shirts were printed. Motsepe publicly stated that he did not want to be the president of the ANC. Aperson in the campaign confirmed that Motsepe is a member in good standing.
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The T-shirts reportedly cost more than R2 million. Speaking to Sunday World, Sello Shai-Morule, the convenor of PM27, said the campaign is in the momentum-building phase and said it had teams coordinating on provincial and national levels. He said the forum reflected the desire of South Africans who want a leader who stands for unity, integrity, and credibility.
Shai-Morule said Thulani Ngesi is the deputy convenor, Ayanda Ngangelizwe asforum secretary, and Mbulelo Mpande as the national head of fundraising. Other senior members of the party, however, are not in support of Motsepe as president. Party secretary-general Fikile Mbalula slammed the idea and said that he wasn't sure if Motsepe was a member of the party. He said if Motsepe wanted to lead, he must prove that he was an ANC member.
Source: Getty Images
Thoko Didiza dismisses ANC presidential campaign
In a similar article, Briefly News reported that the National Speaker, Thoko Didiza, denied that she had aspirations of being the president of the ANC. She said the party's priority was to win the upcoming 2026 local government elections.
Didizaspoke in December 2025 amid speculation that she had cast her name in the race to succeed Ramaphosa as the party's president. Speaking in Boksburg during the party's fifth National General Council and pointed out that the ANC processes do not align with the allegations.
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Source: Briefly News
