Uneasy ANC Members Want Billionaire Patrice Motsepe 'To Rescue Sinking Ship'
- A group of ANC members who call themselves the "Unity 2022 forum" are advocating for a shake-up at the top
- The forum singled out Patrice Motsepe as the ideal candidate for the presidency, stating they intend to endorse him in 2022
- It's believed Motsepe, who donated billions to the party ahead of the local polls, can turn the ANC's dire financial situation around
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JOHANNESBURG - Support for the African National Congress (ANC) will drop to below 40 per cent in the 2024 national and provincial elections.
This is the warning from a faction of the ruling party, which has stressed that serious consequences await if there isn't a notable change within party structures in the next few years.
Source: Getty Images
That is if the seat of the president is not taken over by a neutral figure. To prevent this, concerned members said mining tycoon Patrice Motsepe should become the next president, TimesLIVE reported.
The group said they see the current Confederation of African Football (CAF) as having the ability to resurrect the embattled organisation, which none of the top six members is capable of doing.
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The ship is sinking
"Everyone can see the ANC is sinking, which includes the senior members. We believe Patrice Motsepe must become the ANC president in December next year and the face of the party in 2024.We believe he can rescue the sinking ship," said "Unity 2022 forum" chairperson Emmanuel Makgoga.
Per a previous Briefly News report, the party did not have the success which, historically, it enjoys at the polls, walking away with below 50 per cent of the national vote for the first time since the advent of democracy after the local government elections, on 1 November.
Consequently, the ANC was thrown into the uncomfortable position of holding coalition talks in Johannesburg and Tshwane, among several hung municipalities across the country. Despite "performing well", the forum expressed that renewing President Cyril Ramaphosa's term would not be in the best interest of the organisation.
Desperate for financial rescue
"The situation is out of control. If we head to the next elections with the same faces, we're certain of getting less than 40 per cent of the national vote, which will again force the country to form a coalition government. We can't fold our arms while our country slips from our grasp," Makgoga said.
While he painted a good picture of the hopes his forum have for the future of the party, Makgoga clarified that the group is yet to inform the business magnate of their intention to endorse him for president.
According to an IOL report, Motsepe's African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) is set to acquire a 49 per cent stake in Bokoni Mine from Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) for about R3.5 billion.
But his R5.8 million donation to the ANC in September likely ensured that Motsepe was hailed a hero for single-handedly aiding the financially crippled party ahead of the elections.
Ramaphosa and Motsepe's R366k and R5m donations
Elsewhere, Briefly News previously reported that the Second Quarter Disclosure Report has revealed that Ramaphosa made two donations amounting to R366 000 to his financially constrained party in the lead-up to the municipal elections.
The report, released by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on 18 November, took into account donations received by political parties in the period from July to September 2021.
Ramaphosa's donations of R200 000 and R166 000 on August 30 merely scratched the surface compared to his mining magnate brother-in-law Motsepe, who reportedly contributed over R5 million to the ANC's cause, News24 reported. ARM Limited made a total donation of R5 853 969.
Source: Briefly News
