WATCH: ANCWL is ready for Dlamini-Zuma … and Ramaphosa

Barely a few hours after Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa lost a court bid to gag Sunday Independent from publishing details of alleged philandering with several women, he took his campaign trail to Johannesburg’s West Rand.

Ramaphosa, who made a “frank admission” to another publication that he had an affair with a Limpopo-based medical practitioner that ended eight years ago after apologising to his wife, Dr Tshepo Motsepe, characterised the leaked emails as a “smear campaign”.

He also claimed some of the email correspondence was doctored.

Speaking to a tent packed with ANC branch members at the Greenhills Stadium in Randfontein, Ramaphosa said he would not let the email scandal that had dominated the news agenda over the weekend deter him from running for the presidency of the ANC.

And in a comic twist, African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) members, in their traditional green-and-black garb, told Ramaphosa they were “ready” for him to ascend the highest office in the land.

Their national leader, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini, has consistently told the media and voters that the “blouse” is firmly behind former AU commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

#ANCWL Westrand region in full voice declaring they are ready for #Ramaphosa yebo #CR17Siyavuma pic.twitter.com/WiOyi4gYTv

— CR17SIYAVUMA (@CR17SIYAVUMA) September 3, 2017

The same catchy tune, “on your marks, get set, we are ready for [insert whichever name the blouse chooses to support next]”, is what the women’s league sang in support of the former minister of health and foreign affairs (before it was renamed international relations and cooperation in Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet reconfiguration) during Women’s Day celebrations held in the township of Galeshewe, in Kimberly.

During the event, criticised for turning into a party event, a smiling Zuma threw his weight behind his ex-wife and smiled throughout the rendition of the song. This was a day after he survived a gruelling motion of no confidence in parliament, where as many as 30 of his own party MPs are thought to have voted with the opposition against him.

ON YOUR MARKS! GET SET! WE ARE READY FOR NKOSAZANA!! pic.twitter.com/80H4KRjwLk

— Slwane Mthimkhulu (@Mtamerri) August 9, 2017

Meanwhile, another contender for the ANC’s top position, Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, told the media over the weekend she was not bothered by the expected smear campaign potential ANC top six leadership candidates would face, saying: “Stupidity is not made richer by responding.”

Sisulu also downplayed the role apportioned to the women’s league as king-makers, and quipped that the structure, often criticised in media for being inconsistent and failing to make its voice heard regarding women’s issues, was welcome to endorse any candidate of its choosing, as that was what democracy was all about.

It also emerged this morning that the former editor of The Citizen and the man now in charge of the Sunday Independent, Steve Motale, who authored the controversial article that alleged Ramaphosa is a ‘blesser’, has received death threats. He did not reveal exactly who was behind the threats.

One of the ladies who was linked to Ramaphosa in the emails has come out to defend herself and dismiss ever having a relationship with the business tycoon, who has four children with his current wife. She said she had never met Ramaphosa and was currently based in Germany, where she is studying for a PhD, and was only in the country a few times a year “to collect data”.

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#ANCWL Westrand region in full voice declaring they are ready for #Ramaphosa yebo #CR17Siyavuma pic.twitter.com/WiOyi4gYTv

— CR17SIYAVUMA (@CR17SIYAVUMA) September 3, 2017

ON YOUR MARKS! GET SET! WE ARE READY FOR NKOSAZANA!! pic.twitter.com/80H4KRjwLk

— Slwane Mthimkhulu (@Mtamerri) August 9, 2017