The ANC has issued a thinly veiled rebuke of reported attempts to position Patrice Motsepe as the candidate to replace Cyril Ramaphosa in 2027 as party leader.
Business Day understands that there is growing irritation among ANC national executive committee (NEC) members over the reported Motsepe campaign, known as PM27.
This follows the launching of the pm27.org.za website last week and speculation that the mining magnate is positioning himself to contest the presidency of the ANC.
Motsepe is regarded as a unity candidate compared with other potential candidates, including deputy president Paul Mashatile and ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.
The ANC statement on Monday did not name Motsepe.
Motsepe has not confirmed the authenticity of the PM27 campaign and has previously and publicly denied that he is running for ANC president.
A long-time benefactor of the ANC and other political parties through his company, African Rainbow Minerals, Motsepe has made public appearances at the ANC’s December 2025 national general council and in February at the funeral of Bishop John Bolana, the fifth bishop of the Bantu Church of Christ.
“The ANC therefore unequivocally condemns ‘the PM27′ campaign and calls on all those involved to desist immediately.”
The movement will not allow ambitions to undermine organisational discipline and unity, it said. Appropriate steps will be taken to ensure adherence to the decisions of the NEC and to bring all members into the discipline of the organisation, in line with the constitution of the ANC and the values that have sustained it for more than a century, the ANC said.
“The ANC is currently seized with the critical task of preparing for, and contesting, the upcoming local government elections. Our structures, deployees and members are expected to direct all energy and resources towards strengthening governance, improving service delivery, rebuilding communities and consolidating the confidence of the electorate,” the party said.
“Efforts to advance parallel leadership campaigns at this stage are divisive, distract from the core work of the organisation and amount to an attempt to derail the ANC from its historic mission and responsibilities.”
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