“By the early evening, the irresolute and weakened Ramaphosa slate left no one unscathed – not Mabuyane, not Lamola, not the Mkhize camp … the situation left a power vacuum in its wake. The bigger picture remained unresolved. There was no obvious successor to David Mabuza.”

As an ANC insider, Oscar van Heerden had a ringside seat at the ANC elective conference at NASREC in 2022. In Is the Party Over?, he presents a gripping account of how political power changed hands and what was at stake as Cyril Ramaphosa battled to strengthen his power. Van Heerden does not simply give us the numbers, the money, the delegates, the switching, the promises and the backstabbing. In this powerful account of the inner workings of a cripplingly divided political party, he is part of the story, having to contend with his great disappointment with the party of liberation.

Vivid and unputdownable, Is the Party Over?, is a future classic and a must-read for these testing times.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Oscar van Heerden is one of South Africa's foremost political analysts and authors. Oscar has written for publications, participated in several organisations, written columns, and challenged the political and social "status quo.” He has also held numerous executive positions.

'Is the Party Over?' is published by Jacana Media