His chances of success seem remote, but former health minister Zweli Mkhize is enthusiastically polishing his bid to beat scandal-emblazoned South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in elections to the ruling ANC next week.
Mkhize has long assumed the role of underdog in the race to be president of the African National Congress (ANC) party, a job that paves the way for head of state.
Today, however, Ramaphosa’s position has been shaken by the scandal, and Mkhize is making it loud and clear that if the favorite continues to stumble, he will be waiting in the wings.
“The president says he is innocent and no one has reason to doubt that,” Mkhize said in an interview with AFP, one of those he conducted with the media before the December 16 vote.
But, he said, in a mild attack on the scandal that has left South Africa stunned, “I don’t think it’s a common experience.”
The 70-year-old president’s political future is in doubt over allegations that he covered up the theft of a large amount of cash from his estate instead of reporting the matter to police.
party bosses
Ramaphosa, in appearances before a three-person investigative panel, denied any wrongdoing.
He said the cash, more than half a million dollars hidden under sofa cushions, was payment for buffaloes bought by a Sudanese businessman.
But his explanations did not convince the panel, which raised questions about the origin of the cash, saying he “may have committed” serious violations and misconduct.
His report is due to be presented to parliament next Tuesday, stoking speculation that lawmakers could move towards a vote to remove Ramaphosa from office.
But, at the height of the storm, the ANC’s supreme National Executive Committee rallied around the embattled president and announced that it would oppose any such move.
Mkhize was deeply critical of that meeting.
“I couldn’t talk,” he said. “The way they conducted the meeting was very unusual and strange.”
“While they were in the middle and people were still supposed to talk, they decided to close the meeting and say, ‘Now we have an agreement,’ and they closed. I stood up and objected.”
“It gives the impression that the opinions of certain members should be muzzled,” he said pointedly.
Mkhize staged his media blitz in a rented house in the suburbs of Johannesburg, with a garden and pool visible behind large windows.
Between interviews, he wondered if he should change his tie; his assistant offered her several to choose from, all in the green, yellow and black of the ANC.
ANC issues
Forged by Nelson Mandela into the main weapon that destroyed apartheid, the ANC has ruled South Africa since the advent of democracy in 1994.
But his popularity is falling.
The long tenure in office has left the party divided by factional infighting and a reputation for corruption that Ramaphosa, elected party chief in 2018 after Jacob Zuma’s bribery-stained era, was supposed to clean up.
Mkhize, a 66-year-old doctor by training, is among those whose image has been tarnished by allegations of corruption.
As health minister, he was praised for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but his two-year term ended abruptly when Ramaphosa replaced him in August 2021.
He was placed on special leave after investigators opened an investigation into a 150 million rand ($10.4 million) contract for a covid awareness campaign.
Mkhize has denied the allegations and complained about the investigation, but admitted that “nobody is perfect.”
In the tone of a school teacher, he detailed what he would do if they gave him the helm: create jobs, train young people and build homes.
None of these goals is revolutionary, although all failed to advance significantly under Ramaphosa.
Mkhize may seek strong support for his presidential bid from his home region, the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, which has the most party delegates.
But if Mkhize has a serious chance of beating Ramaphosa on December 16, he must count on his rival’s fall from grace and broaden his support among the divided party.
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