President Jacob Zuma's remarks at the closing of the ANC's policy conference on Wednesday, that a power-sharing deal should be considered to accommodate the losers of the party's elective conference, has been met with suspicion.
But his former wife and presidential hopeful, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is behind Zuma – she believes the proposal would help to eliminate factions, according to The Star.
On Wednesday, Zuma said the party should consider an arrangement where whoever lost the battle for the presidency in December would become the deputy president.
"In this regard, a proposal has been made that we should all encourage lobbying practices that will allow a unifying electoral outcome," Zuma said.
The Star asked Dlamini-Zuma for comment. She said:
"I think the President was right, that we had to find a solution that unites the organisation, and that the proposal must be discussed."
She was asked if she would consider serving as deputy president if she lost the presidential race.
"The conference will decide on that. I am a cadre of the organisation and will do what the organisation decides," she reportedly said.
But human settlements minister Lindiwe Sisulu, who has also been reported to be a possible presidential contender, was not convinced. She told The Star:
"The power sharing thing, I am hearing that for the first time. And I think it is so unfortunate that it comes for the first time when the water has been muddied. The branches are likely to receive it with a bit of scepticism, unless it had come right at the beginning, when the lobbying started. We would have had resounding applause from everybody. All I want to say is that I wish it had come earlier. There is so much factionalism," she said.
Dlamini-Zuma also said she was in favour of the term white monopoly capital, which had been defeated in favour of just "monopoly capital" at the conference.
"There is no doubt that in South Africa as a whole, it is a monopoly of the white conglomerates that dominates the economy. So I don't think it is even an issue, but elsewhere and in general, it is monopoly capital. But in South Africa, if you look at Group 5, the food, beverages and construction industries, it's all white-dominated," she said.