Business Day
*Ramaphosa SA’s ‘prime minister’ — Mantashe*** *Sam Mkokeli and Carol Paton, 20 December 2012*AFRICAN National Congress (ANC) deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa will be a "de facto prime minister" when he joins the government, says party secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.
Mr Ramaphosa, a respected businessman, was elected to the second-most powerful position in the party this week, with the expectation that he will bolster the ANC’s top leadership and help it and the government deal with growing credibility problems in the investor community.
Mr Mantashe said on Wednesday that Mr Ramaphosa, the future deputy president, was expected to hit the ground running as a leader of government business.
He will be charged with keeping watch over Cabinet ministers’ accountability to Parliament, and supervise their work.
"He is assertive. He doesn’t like ceremonial roles.… He loves doing work, so I think that will be an added advantage," Mr Mantashe said. He said Mr Ramaphosa was expected to be "assertive" after he becomes the second most powerful figure in President Jacob Zuma’s government.
"Cyril has acquired new skills that I have no in-depth understanding of, he is a businessman — a shrewd businessman — and that will give him the edge," he said.
"He will open up avenues for the ANC to interact with business, and maybe reduce the suspicion on the part of business about an ANC that is supposedly hostile to business — although it is not."
Mr Mantashe said Mr Ramaphosa was a sophisticated negotiator, able to "unlock" difficult situations. He was part of the team that negotiated South Africa’s transition from apartheid, and joint leader of the team that drafted the new constitution.
There was speculation before the ANC conference in Mangaung that the constitution may need changing to accommodate both Mr Ramaphosa and Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe in the government. But under Nelson Mandela’s presidency, Thabo Mbeki was de facto prime minister with the same job description as laid out for Mr Ramaphosa — leader of government business.
Mr Mantashe said there was no need to create a post of prime minister as Mr Ramaphosa’s new role in the government was a "de facto" prime minister.
There is a growing belief on the sidelines of the conference that Mr Motlanthe will quit as deputy president after he lost the vote this week for the party leadership, to Mr Zuma. He has since turned down an opportunity to serve on the ANC’s national executive committee.
The ANC now finds itself walking a tricky path, trying to manage a situation similar to the recall of Mr Mbeki, in whom the ANC lost faith following his humiliating defeat at its last conference, five years ago.
While senior leaders are putting on a confident front, some of them see Mr Motlanthe’s resignation as imminent.
Mr Mantashe said "that chapter is now closed" — referring to the presidential contest and Mr Motlanthe’s decision not to accept any leadership post in the party.
He said the ANC would put together a "broad team" of leaders in its national executive committee to chart a way forward.
"We must look forward and do the work, and implement the programme of this conference. All I can tell you is it’s the A team, it’s not a B team."
Mr Ramaphosa had initiated a review of his business interests to remove any possibility of a conflict of interest, he said on Wednesday.
He is acting voluntarily as there are no legal or ANC rules that bind him to disclose his interests or withdraw from business. But there are proposals at the conference that would require ANC officials to disclose their interests. These have not yet been debated by delegates.
"In consultation with the ANC officials I am undertaking a process of engagement with several stakeholders on the implication of my election to this post," Mr Ramaphosa said. "This will include a review of existing positions, responsibilities and obligations. It is intended that this will result in an arrangement that removes any conflict of interest."
The past year has seen a dramatic rise in Mr Ramaphosa’s wealth. From last year to this year his worth rose 39% to R3.1bn, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, which measures wealth on the basis of an individual’s holdings in listed companies.
The Shanduka Group, of which the Ramaphosa Family Trust owns 30%, has a large and diverse range of interests.
In the financial sector, these include holdings of 1.2% in Standard Bank, where Mr Ramaphosa is also a director, 7.8% in Alexander Forbes and 1.5% in the Liberty Group. There are also stakes in Bidvest and MTN.
*From: http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/politics/2012/12/20/ramaphosa-sas-prime-minister--mantashe*
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