One of the likely contenders for the ANC’s presidency in December 2027 has claimed that the low-intensity campaign to elect billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe is run by faceless people.

Paul Mashatile, who is currently the ANC’s and the country’s deputy president also said the campaign is premature.

Mashatile made this comment in an interview with podcaster Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh released on Friday. During the interview, Mashatile was coy when he was asked whether he would contest for the position.

He elected to say he will follow the ANC’s established guidelines of considering a nomination by branches once the window has been opened for that.

He then commented on the campaign to elect Motsepe, repeating his assertion that the ANC’s internal challenges cannot not be resolved by an outsider.

“Well, I can’t discount him (Motsepe), I think what the Secretary-General said… he must make sure his (ANC) membership you know is in order. I am assuming that he is a member of the ANC, he probably belongs to a branch somewhere, the ANC constitution says anybody who is a member can have an opportunity to be elected to any position, whether in a branch, region, up to national. So, it’s okay if you are an ANC member, but there should not be a notion that the ANC’s challenges should be resolved by someone who comes from outside, it must be a member of the ANC.

“The only problematic issue now is that at the time when the ANC say we shouldn’t campaign, there are other people, everyday who are pushing for comrade Patrice’s name and they are faceless, that’s problem number one. So, I doubt if comrade Patrice knows them because… if he does he should be able to go to them and say guys, it’s not the time to do this. I think if that is not stopped it means other candidates in the ANC who may want also to make themselves available, don’t enjoy the same privilege of campaigning. So, I think that is something that the SG (Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula) was trying to deal with recently,” Mashatile said.