AXED health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has officially launched his ANC presidential campaign and lambasted the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In video footage released over the weekend, Mkhize said the country could not afford a second Ramaphosa term, which he described as lacking in general aim and purpose.
In the video, Mkhize said he was nominated by his branch, which he said joined numerous other branches across the country in entrusting him with leading the ANC and the country.
The former minister said that he was humbled by this gesture, which he accepted, and was available to challenge Ramaphosa at the national conference in December. Mkhize implored the ANC delegates to save the ANC.
“Our window of opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past and re-energise our movement is rapidly closing.
“We cannot afford another five years of deeply factionalised and directionless leadership. We must act decisively to save the ANC,” said Mkhize.
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He pointed out load shedding as one of the priorities he would deal with, saying the blackouts damaged the economy and thereby condemned the majority of the people to poverty.
The presidential hopeful has been endorsed by the KZN Provincial Executive Committee after branch nominations in what was a snub of Co-operative Governance Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
Dlamini-Zuma was not only snubbed by the province, her region Harry Gwala also did. But despite this, she has insisted that she was running.
Elsewhere it has been reported that she was in talks with another presidential hopeful, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, to join forces.
Sisulu stated her intentions to challenge Ramaphosa and had been aligned with the Radical Economic Transformation (RET) forces, and was working the ground in KZN and the Eastern Cape.
Her campaign has since taken a huge knock after also being snubbed by the province.
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The three of them are fishing from the same pond and aligned to the same faction with former President Jacob Zuma holding sway. Zuma has publicly endorsed his former wife, Dlamini-Zuma.
Zuma is said to be opposed to Mkhize’s presidency and it’s believed he expressed this to the newly-elected KZN leadership when they visited him in Nkandla shortly after they were elected.
With Mkhize and Dlamini-Zuma intent on running for presidency, this is likely going to divide the RET support base to the advantage of Ramaphosa who could easily romp to victory.
