Zuma allies keep mum

As the walls close in on President Jacob Zuma, his biggest allies have gone silent.

The aborted plan by the ANC national executive committee (NEC) to approve and implement its national working committee’s decision to recall President Jacob Zuma last Wednesday is a clear sign Cyril Ramaphosa is in control and Zuma’s followers in the party have abandoned him, leading analysts said.

Analysts Dumisani Hlophe and Somadoda Fikeni agreed that allegiances were shifting towards Ramaphosa and noted that Zuma die-hards in the ANC top six, the ANC Women and Youth Leagues as well as the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veteran’s League have fallen silent about his removal.

Zuma supporters in the NEC have realised they have no argument to present contrary to the view that Zuma must go, Fikeni said.

Hlophe said reports after the ANC December conference that the new ANC top six and the NEC were evenly divided between Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, did not reflect reality.

“Politicians always identify the stronger side and move to it. The balance of forces always favours the incoming president.”

Professor André Duvenhage, from North West University, said the former Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma group was repositioning itself on Ramaphosa’s side as it eyed deployments in his administration.

Professor Susan Booysen, an analyst from Wits University, added that Ramaphosa’s decision to hold a meeting with Zuma indicated Zuma could no longer rely on his supporters in the top six, Ace Magashule and Jessie Duarte.

//