Mabuza first ANC deputy president not to become the party’s president

David Mabuza will not be holding on to his position of South Africa’s deputy president.

Deputy president position

Mabuza, at the ANC elective conference in Nasrec, Johannesburg, declined his nomination from the floor for another term as the deputy president of the ANC.

ANC treasurer-general and acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola and Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane are battling it out to take Mabuza’s position.

Mabuza will be the first ANC deputy president to not become the party’s president.

Watch: David Mabuza declines ANC deputy president nomination

‘Wonderful’ retirement package

In an interview with the SABC, political analyst Professor Lesiba Teffo said although Mabuza will no longer be in the ANC’s highest echelon, he has done well for himself.

“[Mabuza] says to me today, that I’m not available for any position, but he goes back home with a package of a deputy president that he will be with for the next 20 or 50 years. He’s fairly young, why wouldn’t you do that? I mean that is a retirement package that is wonderful,” said Teffo.

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Lost support of Mpumalanga branches

Another analyst, Sandile Swana, said Mabuza lost the support of ANC branches in Mpumalanga while he held his position in the Presidency.

“Today he’s a non-entity in his own home base and the artificial branches that he had created in Mpumalanga have all been cut down. If you look at the number of delegates from Mpumalanga, it has been trimmed.

“The reason for that, in my judgment, is that the artificial branches that Mabuza had created to boost his political standing [and] to marshall those whom he was taking care of on a daily basis to achieve his political objectives – unfortunately, he made a mistake on the chess board and disconnected himself,” said Swana.

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Mabuza reportedly wanted Luthuli House position

In March, there was speculation that Mabuza had asked to be relieved of his duties as deputy president and instead take over at the ANC headquarters, Luthuli House.

Mabuza allegedly made the suggestion because Ace Magashule was suspended as ANC secretary-general and his deputy, Jessie Duarte, was sick.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, however, would not grant Mabuza his request.

Behind the scenes, it was thought that Mabuza wanted the secretary-general position so he could have more influence over branches ahead of the ANC national elective conference.

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