There is a new entrant in the ANC’s 2027 leadership race — and senior party figures are said to favour her.
National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza is understood to have formally thrown her hat into the ring as a contender to succeed ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa.
She is expected to face off against deputy president Paul Mashatile and ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula for the top post.
The Sunday Times can reveal that Didiza is believed to be favoured by Ramaphosa and party national chairperson Gwede Mantashe, among several ANC leaders.
So serious is Didiza’s candidacy that insiders say she has been introduced to some ANC funders and big businesses, including those from Stellenbosch.
“Number One [Ramaphosa] told those Stellenbosch fellows that he prefers Didiza over all these other people that are contesting,” said one insider with intimate knowledge of the discussions.
“It’s not the first time we hear about Didiza; remember, he and his allies in the party, especially Mantashe, have always backed her.”
Mantashe said the notion that him and Ramaphosa were backing Didiza was wrong.
“Don’t create stories and use our names,” said Mantashe adding that “it is your view. It has nothing to do with me and the President”.
Didiza is also believed to be backed by those aligned with former president Thabo Mbeki in and outside the national executive committee (NEC).
Ideally, sources said, Ramaphosa would have preferred to be succeeded by now suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu, but the allegations he is facing at the Madlanga commission have dashed any hope of him taking over, although some KZN leaders say it is too early to come to that conclusion.
Other ANC leaders have, however, described a possible Didiza candidacy as “stillborn”, saying she did not command the backing of any constituency.
Mashatile will definitely have Gauteng behind him as well as North West and some parts of Limpopo. Mbalula is consolidating the Free State and has recently made some inroads, although minor, in Mpumalanga, and the disbandment of the Western Cape will possibly work in his favour as well. So where will Thoko [Didiza] get her support?
These leaders said that unlike Mashatile and Mbalula, who are supported by provinces, it was not clear where Didiza’s support would come from.
“Mashatile will definitely have Gauteng behind him as well as North West and some parts of Limpopo. Mbalula is consolidating the Free State and has recently made some inroads, although minor, in Mpumalanga, and the disbandment of the Western Cape will possibly work in his favour as well. So where will Thoko [Didiza] get her support?” asked a senior party leader.
The party leader added that Didiza was rejected by Tshwane residents in 2016 when her name was put up as a possible replacement for Kgosientso “Sputla” Ramokgopa, leading to widespread protests around the city.
Didiza as a contender is likely to create tension in the national general council, which starts tomorrow, as some of the people backing her are known to be allies of Mashatile and Mbalula.
Mbalula would have expected Ramaphosa to stand behind his candidacy, while sources have indicated that Mashatile and Ramaphosa have also made some strides in strengthening their relationship.
Mashatile and Mantashe have also been seen drawing closer, often backing each other on key NEC decisions. They jointly argued that the ANC should engage the EFF about joining the GNU, and they stood together against Mbalula when defending the full disbandment of the Gauteng provincial executive committee — a move Ramaphosa softened by calling it a “reconfiguration” rather than a disbandment.
Didiza’s name comes up as the ANC seeks to claw back its dwindling support base by going a different route.
Party insiders said the party has been considering trying out a female leader for the first time since its inception as a possible way to regain voter confidence.
The attempt to install a female leader fell flat at the 2017 national conference, where national executive committee member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma lost to Ramaphosa.
Since that conference, Ramaphosa has moved to empower women’s leadership in the party and state, giving senior and critical roles to women.
In the Presidency, Ramaphosa replaced Mondli Gungubele with Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, who now also heads the State Security Agency, while defence is led by Angie Motshekga. In parliament, the National Assembly installed Didiza as speaker, while Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane was elected as the chair of the National Council of Provinces.
ANC insiders have said it was therefore not surprising that Ramaphosa would seek to back a woman to succeed him.
A Didiza slate, if she is accepted by the ANC branches, is likely to include Eastern Cape provincial chair Oscar Mabuyane and another leader from KwaZulu-Natal, either Mdumiseni Ntuli, Sihle Zikalala or even Zweli Mkhize.
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