The quiet contest to succeed President Cyril Ramaphosa is taking shape inside the ANC with Deputy President Paul Mashatile and Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula emerging as the leading contenders.
Both men have dismissed talk of succession as premature, but insiders say the race is already under way ahead of the ANC’s 2027 elective conference.
The ANC Youth League has urged that the leadership race be uncontested, saying unity is vital after the party’s electoral setbacks.
According to party insiders, the most likely candidate will be the one capable of uniting the organisation and rebuilding ties with both the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), two groups that broke away from the ANC in recent years.
For the ANC, that ability to heal internal divisions and mend fractured alliances may prove more decisive than any campaign slogan or factional support.