For years there has been speculation that Patrice Motsepe, the billionaire businessman and football administrator, would eventually run for president of South Africa.
But now that some say his bid is imminent and inevitable, the question arises: would a Motsepe presidency be transformative?
In the past month Motsepe, whose interests include mining and financial services in addition to philanthropy, has been a near-constant feature on TV screens as he watched match after match at the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco.
The tournament, which was won by Senegal, is a pinnacle of success for Motsepe’s two-term presidency of the Confederation of African Football (Caf).
During his tenure he has cleaned up the image of the continental game, bolstered prize money and sought to modernise Africa’s game. The changes, including aligning Afcon’s calendar with that of international governing body Fifa, have been incremental but legacy-building.
Motsepe’s commitment to the football job has been unwavering. While he continues his entrepreneurial activities in SA, he is largely an absentee business owner. He is more at ease at soccer stadiums or beauty pageants at the side of Precious, his wife, or at an annual national prayer day event.
His duties at Caf have ensured that his reputation is insulated from the dirty tricks that accompany the ANC, his controversy-prone political home.
As well as retrenching his role in SA’s political economic affairs — such as participating in ANC and organised business activities — Motsepe has sought to enhance his stature as a global player, with football his preferred platform.
His duties at Caf have ensured that his reputation is insulated from the dirty tricks that accompany the ANC, his controversy-prone political home. In 1994 he stood as an ANC MP candidate before swiftly withdrawing to pursue a business career.
He was following in his father’s footsteps. Augustine Butana Chaane, known as ABC, was a teacher who branched out to enter business full time. Initially, that included transportation and then liquor and grocery stores.
ABC also invested in his children’s education. Patrice, a lawyer by training, is a beneficiary of this investment, and luck has always favoured him.
Continental football has served another useful purpose to Motsepe’s political ambition: that is, it has been seen as a diversion. In their calculus, for example, contenders to succeed Cyril Ramaphosa as president — including Paul Mashatile and Fikile Mbalula — see Motsepe as a potential funder of their campaign, not a rival.
They believe Motsepe’s next stop is the presidency of Fifa, world football’s governing body, now headed by Gianni Infantino, a Motsepe ally in the campaign to clean up international football.
Motsepe has ably assisted this “I’m not available” political narrative. “My contribution is needed elsewhere; the country is in good hands,” are his ritual retorts. However, these diversionary tactics have run their course.
In the absence of the direct election of a president in SA, what comes after the ANC is what matters most for Motsepe’s path to the Union Buildings.
Motsepe can no longer defer the question. What remains unanswered is how imminent is imminent. And, which platform will he use? By most accounts the ANC is a spent force. Having lost the 2024 general elections it has been forced into coalition arrangements with its ideological bête noire, the DA.
Ramaphosa’s legacy is at risk, thanks to the ANC. Even though the bar was set embarrasingly low, Ramaphosa squandered several opportunities by trying to save the ANC from devouring itself.
In all likelihood the party, which is facing a mutiny from traditional alliance partner the SACP, will be routed in the coming local government elections. That does not make for a viable vehicle for a presidential bid.
In the absence of the direct election of a president in SA, what comes after the ANC is what matters most for Motsepe’s path to the Union Buildings. As president he is unlikely to be a radical force that disrupts and engineers an immediate course correction.
The temptation he faces is to do what all oligarchs do: pour their money into the myriad problems faced by the country. A transformative presidency, on the other hand, requires dirtying one’s hands to marshall disparate forces towards a common goal. That, unfortunately, isn’t Motsepe’s wont.
• Dludlu, a former editor of Sowetan, is CEO of the Small Business Institute.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.