Ramaphosa appeared deliberately vague about how the electricity minister will work with Gordhan or energy and mines minister Gwede Mantashe the government's leading defender of the coal industry and the mineworkers' union...

At the centre of the debate is the man widely seen as the most powerful member of the government ANC chairman and minerals minister Gwede Mantashe...

Gwede Mantashe the powerful Energy Minister and a long-time Secretary-General of the party is also said to be a Mashatile sceptic...

Ramaphosa is politically obligated to Gwede Mantashe who narrowly retained his position as ANC chair at the party's elective conference in December...

The biggest obstacle to Ramaphosa's programme now is ANC chair and Mining Minister Gwede Mantashe who is representative of ANC stalwarts and black business owners who are determined to slow the phasing out of coal and want quick-fix and patronage-rich solutions to the energy crisis analysts say...

However his supporters including Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele and ANC chair and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe shut down any criticism at last week's National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Johannesburg...

Ramaphosa's allies – including heavyweights like secretary-general hopeful Fikile Mbalula current party chair Gwede Mantashe and deputy presidential nominee Senzo Mchunu – lost out badly in the branches (AC Vol 63 No 22 Ramaphosa names his party allies)...

Their preferred candidate as party chair was ANC policy guru and former cabinet spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe instead of the frontrunner Gwede Mantashe...

Pandor Minerals and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe Defence Minister Thandi Modise Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan are expected to accompany the President on the state visit...