Billionaire Patrice Motsepe rules out South African presidency and FIFA bid in double denial

Patrice Motsepe has ruled out running for the South African presidency, dismissing speculation that has followed him since supporters began openly campaigning for a 2027 bid.

"South Africa does not need me to go into politics," the mining magnate told reporters in Johannesburg on Wednesday. "There are many very capable and good leaders in this country."

The 64-year-old billionaire, who has led the Confederation of African Football since 2021, also shut down a separate line of speculation, saying he had no interest in succeeding Gianni Infantino at FIFA. "I have no desire or ambition to be president of FIFA. That doesn't excite me," he said. His current CAF term runs until 2029.

A campaign he did not ask for

The denial carries weight because the pressure has been visible rather than hypothetical. At the African National Congress national general council meeting in December, delegates wore T-shirts bearing the slogan PM27, a reference to a possible presidential run in 2027. A lobbying website using the same name has since been launched.

Motsepe addressed the campaign obliquely, pointing to his distance from any faction. "The only problem I have is I'm not part of any group," he said. "That's why even some of my friends say things which are not flattering, because somebody said to them that somebody might persuade me to change my view."

His name has circulated partly because of proximity. He is the brother-in-law of President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose second and final term ends in 2029, and whose sister Tshepo Motsepe is South Africa's first lady.

A succession fight inside a weakened ANC

The speculation has intensified as the governing party works through its own instability. The ANC recorded its worst electoral performance in the last national vote, forcing it into an uneasy coalition government, and the contest to succeed Ramaphosa has grown accordingly.

Ramaphosa has also faced renewed pressure over the theft of $4 million in cash from his private game farm. The ANC blocked impeachment proceedings over the scandal in 2022, but the Constitutional Court revived the process in May.

A business figure with no factional base has appealed to parts of the party looking for a candidate untainted by internal battles. Motsepe's answer indicates he does not see the appeal.

The businessman behind the denial

Motsepe founded African Rainbow Minerals and remains its owner. Forbes estimates his personal wealth at $3.5 billion, ranking him Africa's eighth richest person. He became the first Black South African to appear on the Forbes billionaire list in 2012.

His holdings extend beyond mining into financial services and insurance, and he owns Mamelodi Sundowns, the reigning CAF Champions League winners and the most successful club in South African football. That ownership underpinned his rise through the continental game to the CAF presidency.

Ruling out both offices leaves him with the position he already holds. CAF has just come through a World Cup in which African teams drew scrutiny for their performance, and Motsepe's remaining term runs to the end of the decade, the same year Ramaphosa leaves office.