South Africa may be set to choose Cyril Ramaphosa as its next president.
The African National Congress’ choice for its new leader puts Ramaphosa in a position to replace President Jacob Zuma after Zuma’s eight years in power left the party and country divided.
Ramaphosa, a protégé of Nelson Mandela, represents a beacon of hope to reformers within the party. The anti-apartheid hero could help to root out the corruption in the administration. What’s more, his business success could hopefully draw in much-needed foreign investment.
He currently serves South Africa’s deputy president.
“Ramaphosa has a better chance of renewing confidence, not only in the markets but also inside the A.N.C., where reformers may now feel they have a place,” said William Gumede, the executive chairman of the Democracy Works Foundation. “The mood in this country in the last couple of years has been so depressed that he’ll bring a new energy.”
A declining party
The A.N.C. leadership has been rocked by losses as public support waned throughout Zuma’s tenure in office. In fact, the party is rumored to be considering replacing Zuma with Ramaphosa as the head of the party before the end of Zuma’s term in 2019, simply to improve their chances of winning the general election.
While Black voters have largely supported the A.N.C. because of the party’s role in the anti-apartheid movement, that support keeps dropping further.
Not to mention, corruption allegations continue to rock the party. Zuma continues to face charges that he works only for himself.
With the party’s reputation in tatters, then, Black middle class voters have abandoned the A.N.C. Last year, during the local elections, the A.N.C. lost almost all of the major urban areas for precisely that reason.
Many in the A.N.C hope that Ramaphosa will breathe new life into the party, but others aren’t so sure.
“Ramaphosa doesn’t have a reputation for being gung-ho,” said Steven Friedman, a political analyst at the University of Johannesburg. “He’s not the kind of muscleman politician that will go in and clean up. He’s more of a conciliator and bridge mender. There are all these wild expectations now.”
In the meantime, South Africa will simply have to wait and see what Ramaphosa’s leadership brings.