Ramaphosa is also likely to take comfort from the case against Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane the Zuma appointee and fierce opponent of Ramaphosa who faces a perjury trial in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court in January (AC Vol 61 No 25 Ace shuffles the deck again)...

Tarnished allyAnother setback for the Magashule/Zuma camp is a major court repudiation of the Zuma-supporting Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane who was appointed for the statutory period of seven years just before Zuma was 'recalled' as president by the ANC (AC Vol 55 No 11 A loyalist cabinet & Vol 60 No 11 Long shadow of corruption over new order)...

The former Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane another close ally of Zuma has previously claimed these statements showed evidence of money laundering (AC Vol 60 No 11 Long shadow of corruption over new order)...

Ramaphosa's election financing was the subject of an unsuccessful attempt by the then Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to link him to money-laundering and accepting money from some dubious sources which could exert undue influence over the President and misleading Parliament (AC Vol 60 No 15 Zuma blusters at Zondo)...

Gcale is being groomed to replace Busisiwe Mkhwebane the Public Protector appointed by and reportedly still loyal to Zuma...

However the official that Zuma appointed as South Africa's Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane controversially cleared Magashule in her 2018 report on the investigation of the Vrede scheme blaming lower-level officials for corruption...

While prosecutions are awaited the Zuma faction has scored against the President especially in attacks by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane on Gordhan and on Ramaphosa himself who she asserts lied to Parliament about donations to the election campaign funds...

The increasingly vicious war between opposing ANC factions has reached new heights after Zuma testified at the commission and Zuma-appointed Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane  ruled that Presiden Cyril Ramaphosa deliberately misled Parliament about contributions to his 2017 election campaign funds and engaged in money laundering (AC Vol 60 No 12 A tale of two ANCs)...

Lined up against Ramaphosa with Magashule are: Deputy President  David Mabuza; former Premier of North West province  Supra Mahumapelo; former President Jacob Zuma; and the current Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane a Zuma-appointed advocate who formerly worked in intelligence...