ANC printing T-shirts to make a billionaire its next president

Political analyst Prince Mashele said the ANC is printing T-shirts to support a bid to make billionaire Patrice Motsepe its next president.

Mashele, citing well-placed sources, shared this information during a discussion with Mike Sham on the State of the Nation podcast.

“I have pictures of T-shirts the ANC is printing on which it is written, Savumelana, which means ‘we have agreed’, with PM, which stands for Patrice Motsepe,” he said.

“The printing machines are busy printing Patrice Motsepe’s T-shirts. This means that Motsepe wants to be president.”

He said Motsepe’s mistake is seeing the ANC as the best vehicle to become South Africa’s next president.

Mashele argued that the ANC is a dying party and that it would not feature prominently in the 2029 general elections.

“Motsepe is picking a dead horse. It is not running anywhere. He is going to destroy himself if he gets into the ANC,” he said.

Apart from the danger of becoming an ANC politician, Mashele said that he smells a rat regarding the campaign to make Motsepe the next president.

“There is a scheme which Cyril Ramaphosa has concocted as he is exiting. He does not want the ANC to be taken over by a leader who might arrest him,” he said.

He cited the Phala Phala scandal, where a large sum of foreign currency from Ramaphosa’s private game farm in Limpopo was stolen.

There have been allegations of a cover-up, and it remains a focal point in South African politics, with active court cases and ongoing legal challenges.

“If you had a proper government after Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency, he is supposed to go to jail, and he knows that,” he said.

The solution to this problem, according to Mashele, was for Ramaphosa to convince his brother-in-law, Patrice Motsepe, to run for president.

Ramaphosa will use his influence and network within the ANC to support Motsepe’s presidential campaign. In return, Motsepe will protect Ramaphosa.

“If Motsepe takes over as ANC and the South African Presidency, he will never allow Ramaphosa to be arrested. They are blood relatives,” he said.

Mashele further dismissed the idea that Motsepe would be a great president capable of rescuing South Africa.

“South Africans must not be fooled by the Motsepe presidency. It would not fix anything. He would not rescue the country,” he said.

Patrice Motsepe denies plans to run for ANC president

Motsepe has consistently denied plans to run for ANC president, saying he does not have to be president to contribute to South Africa.

“A few years ago, the editors of the major newspapers asked me whether I was going to get involved in politics,” he said.

“My answer was always that I don’t have to get into politics to make a contribution to this country and to fulfil my duty to the people.”

Speaking at the results announcement of his company, African Rainbow Minerals, he dismissed rumours of betrayals and the like. “That is not correct,” he said.

“I will continue to, as I have in the past, work with all political parties across the board,” he said.

He also emphasised his commitment to his family foundation and his role as the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Despite his denials, he remains included in public polls because supporters believe he could still be persuaded.

There have also been reports of various ANC branches nominating him to take over the party’s leadership.

These ANC branches view Motsepe as a “billionaire outlier” who could stabilise the organisation, which has been beset by problems and infighting.

Polling data from late 2025 indicates that Motsepe remains highly regarded among both general voters and ANC faithful.

He often scores higher in ‘positive regard’ than established political figures like Paul Mashatile or Fikile Mbalula.

This popularity continues to fuel the “Motsepe for President” narrative despite his own statements to the contrary.

PM27 T-shirt printing video