Billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe has dismissed rumours he will contest for leadership of the ANC in 2027 — replacing his brother-in-law, President Cyril Ramaphosa — but will support whoever is elected by the party.
This is the first time Motsepe has addressed the matter, after months of speculation he would receive Ramaphosa’s backing to take over the reins.
Speaking on Friday at a results presentation for African Rainbow Minerals, which he owns, Motsepe said: “Whoever is elected by the ANC I will support, as I have in the past; and as I said, I will work together with all other political parties.”
Calls for Motsepe to enter discussions about succession in the ANC intensified after the party’s losses at last year’s national elections.
Some within the ANC believe the party needs to build its image around a respected business leader to arrest its electoral decline.
We've been privileged as a family to donate to all political parties. And those who criticise me, I say to them at times, jokingly, 'If you stop criticising me, I will not give you money at all
— Motsepe
The business tycoon’s relationship with the Western superpowers — including with US president Donald Trump — was seen as another advantage for the party should it retain its position in government in 2029.
Motsepe said he did not need to get into politics to contribute to South Africa. He said accusations that he turned his back on the country were not correct, adding he would continue to work together with all political parties across the board.
“We've been privileged as a family to donate to all political parties. And those who criticise me, I say to them at times, jokingly, 'If you stop criticising me, I will not give you money at all.'
“[We have] got some really exceptional people in business, but also in politics, and we have to support and work together and encourage those who really are committed to building this country.”
Motsepe said he was proud of some of the country's top business people, religious and traditional leaders, who recognised their responsibility to unite South Africans.
“It’s easy to stand by the sideline and say, ‘Those problems have got nothing to do with me, my family is in comfort and we are OK.’ [But] that’s not who we are, that’s not how we were brought up, and that’s not what we’ve done ... we will continue, in our own humble way, to work together with everybody.
“This country’s got exceptional people; I'm confident that despite all the problems — there are serious problems and there are huge problems — [that] we will succeed,” he said.
The Sunday Times previously reported on how Motsepe worked with Ramaphosa’s camp in the lead-up to the president’s meeting with the Trump administration in Washington in May.
Motsepe was part of a government delegation — led by envoy to the US Mcebisi Jonas and international relations director-general Zane Dangor — that travelled to Qatar to seek advice from that country’s leaders on how best to prepare for the meeting with Trump.
The delegation was one of the teams the South African government deployed to cover all angles ahead of the crucial meeting.
Talks of Motsepe’s possible running for the leadership was criticised by ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who in June questioned whether he was still a party member.
“They are saying they are going to be leaders of the ANC because they have money,” Mbalula said. “The ANC is not like running a football club and all of that. You work for it. This is not like [Mamelodi] Sundowns or [Orlando] Pirates.
“To those people who are always saying, ‘We want Motsepe, we want Motsepe,’ I don’t even know if he is a member of the ANC. Yes, his money, we eat it; he donates from time to time.”
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