Cyri
l Ramaphosa, who lost to Thabo Mbeki in the race to succeed
Nelson Mandela as South African president, will run for the office
in 2009, City Press said, citing unidentified people.
Ramaphosa may contest the election for the position of president of
the ruling African National Congress party against Jacob Zuma next
year as an initial step toward leading the country, the
Johannesburg-based newspaper said. He has the backing of
Mandela.
The 54-year-old Ramaphosa limited his role in politics after losing
to Mbeki and has since been active in business. His companies have
taken stakes in assets ranging from coal mines to paper
mills.
Ramaphosa founded the National Union of Mineworkers, South Africa's
biggest labor union, and helped lead the negotiations to end
apartheid.
Edited by: Bloomberg