The battle for Limpopo ahead of ANC 2017
Polokwane - The upcoming Limpopo regional elective conference will be a make-or-break test of the province's once-taken for granted support for deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa as the party president ahead of the December elective conference.
The province now appears deeply divided over the succession battle between Ramaphosa and outgoing African Union commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
The regional conferences will be held next month as the national succession battle intensifies. Limpopo was widely expected to back Ramaphosa, who has links to the province.
However his detractors in the province have argued that this can’t be a factor.
"Cyril, which branch is he from here? He said it himself that he is not from Limpopo and was born in Soweto and after completing school he went back," said a party member who asked to remain anonymous.