Paul Mashatile: Deputy President
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Deputy President Paulus Shipokosa Mashatile, the man tipped to replace President Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president in 2027 and possibly the next leader of South Africa, is a hard worker and a smart politician. Unfortunately, his career has always been dodged by corruption allegations.
Although the allegations remain untested and Mashatile has maintained his innocence, the shadow of corruption continues to hang over his head. From the diamond gift to his wife Humile by dodgy diamond dealer Louis Liebenberg, family links to the R80 billion lottery licence which reeks of political abuse to multi-million rand homes owned through his son Thabiso and son-in-law Nceba Nonkwelo, Mashatile, a member of the infamous Alex Mafia from Alexandra township believed to run tenders in Gauteng, is never far from controversy.
Mashatile was fined R10000 for failing to declare the diamond gift, and has now declared as a family home the R28.9million Constantia, Cape Town property owned by Nonkwelo. He has also declared the R37m Waterfall mansion owned by Nonkwelo and Thabiso through their company Legacy Property.
But the Economic Freedom Fighters want him to testify on his family ties to the lotto licence, where his wife’s twin sister is part of a consortium alleged to have been irregularly awarded the deal. Although Ramaphosa knew his party deputy came with baggage, his hand was forced by forces inside the ANC to appoint Mashatile as number two in cabinet.
The party always argues that having someone else as deputy creates two centres of power. Mashatile, a product of the deep-rooted factionalism in the governing ANC, will survive until the end of the current administration, and might become the next president – if he continues to play his cards right and if his faction wins the battle at the ANC’s elective conference in 2027.