President Jacob Zuma’s faction in the ANC has suffered another blow as the country’s largest worker federation, Cosatu, has thrown its weight behind deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa to take over as president of the ANC.<\/p>\n
The group made the announcement during a press briefing, following its executive council meetings held this week.<\/p>\n
This is counter to supporters of the pro-Zuma camp, who have come out in support of his preferred candidate, ex-wife and current AU chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.<\/p>\n
This is a major blow to Zuma, as the internal factionalism of the ANC starts drawing lines ahead of the ruling party’s elective conference set for 2017.<\/p>\n
A number of affiliate unions within Cosatu, including Nehawu and CWU, have outright called for Zuma to step down as president, following a number of high-profile scandals associated with president in the past few years.<\/p>\n
Cosatu’s move away from the pro-Zuma narrative is especially significant, as it signifies that all alliance members of the ANC – Cosatu, the SACP and some within in the ANC itself – are steering away from a Zuma-defined presidency.<\/p>\n