If you’re looking for some quality reading, you can’t go wrong with the FT Weekend, which Seth has already spoken about at length.

Given that it’s Wednesday, though, we’ll focus on some of the finest reporting from their site, and in particular a story focusing on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s battle for power within the ANC itself.

The release of Pieter-Louis Myburgh’s explosive new book, Gangster State: Unravelling Ace Magashule’s web of capture, was met with well-documented protests and threats of book burnings.

It was clearly a short-sighted strategy, because it only sought to shine a spotlight on the revelations contained within, catching the eye of international media outlets.

The Financial Times outline how that afore-mentioned power struggle will play out quite succinctly in their story, ‘Ramaphosa struggles against ‘mafia’ within his own party‘:

…as South Africa gears up for its May 8 election that will mark 25 years of democracy, the problem for the president is that the alleged gangsters are within his own African National Congress…

The book portrays Mr Magashule [pictured up top] as a “Mr Ten Per Cent” kingpin who looted an entire province as a party supremo under Mr Zuma. Mr Magashule dismissed the allegations as “fake news” and said they were an attack on the whole ANC. But the reaction of Mr Magashule’s supporters, and Mr Ramaphosa’s rebuke, have revealed the gulf within the party.

“The ANC is almost being run like two parties . . . it is unprecedented,” said William Gumede, chairperson of Democracy Works, a political foundation. “This is Ace’s and Zuma’s people doing this stuff. They burn books and intimidate people. That’s the other party. It’s extraordinary.”

As was to be expected, Ramaphosa condemned the violence, and the book burnings were called off.

We break briefly to focus on how Julius Malema has been trying to obtain an illegal, copyright-infringing PDF of the book, which retails for around R200 on Takealot:

So he can afford the membership fees at one of Sandton’s most exclusive clubs, but can’t pay for a R200 book? I see.

When Julius is not seeking to undermine the hard work of investigative journalists and authors, he’s talking up the internal factions within the ANC:

…there is already speculation that Mr Ramaphosa will struggle to turn the victory into action against corruption.

“The reality of the situation is that Cyril won’t finish his term. The man is stuck,” said Julius Malema, leader of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters, a leftist ANC breakaway.

Mr Malema, a once-fervent supporter of Mr Zuma who turned against the former president, said his old comrades were organising at the ANC’s grassroots level against Mr Ramaphosa to replace him. “Even if he wants to remove them, there is nothing he can do,” he said.

Calling the EFF a “leftist ANC breakaway” is your euphemism of the day.

Then there’s the crook-laden ANC parliamentary list:

Its upper echelons are filled with allies of Mr Zuma who have been accused of perjury, corruption and other wrongdoing. They will all be elected if the ANC gets its predicted majority.

Mr Ramaphosa has admitted that the list “impacts on the image of the integrity of the organisation”. But there is little he can do to overturn party decisions…His politically weak position has forced him to share power with Zuma acolytes.

Supporters of Mr Ramaphosa had hoped that investigations of corruption into figures such as Mr Magashule would be launched quickly and eventually force them to step down. But the wheels of justice have turned slowly, owing in part to the decay at prosecutorial bodies under Mr Zuma…

Mr Zuma’s allies may see this election as their last realistic chance of halting Mr Ramaphosa anti-corruption drive. “They understand that if Ramaphosa gets a big mandate, he’s going to move against them . . . if he gets over 55 per cent, there is no way they can do anything. He will have all the power,” Mr Gumede says.

In other words, voters are expected to once again cast their vote for the ANC on the basis that this time around, unlike all the others, they will actually clean up their act.

Given how much is on the line for the party’s dirtiest members (that electoral list once more), you can bet that the battle raging behind the scenes will be one for the ages.

If Ramaphosa is ousted, and the likes of Ace and David Mabuza (our deputy president and esteemed crook) seize power, then you can kiss any hope of that New Dawn goodbye.

[source:fintimes]