On Sunday, South Africa will mark 28 years since Nelson Mandela walked free from prison.
A large celebration is due to be held in Cape Town – a nod to the fact that this year, 2018, would have been Mandela’s 100th birthday.
But it is at risk of being overshadowed by the battle within the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to remove South Africa’s current President Jacob Zuma.
The party’s leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, and the rest of the ANC’s “top six” officials, pulled out of all public events in the run up to Sunday, to focus on more “pressing matters”.
They had been scheduled to meet with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, a close friend of Mandela’s.
The question of whether or not Mr Zuma will go has dominated the headlines all week, with speculation reaching a fever pitch after the annual state of the nation address was postponed on Thursday.
The ANC politician is facing calls to step down amid allegations of corruption, which he vehemently denies.
On Tuesday, Mr Ramaphosa – South Africa’s deputy president – said he was holding direct talks with the embattled Zuma over a transfer of power.
However, it doesn’t seem like any transfer looks likely in the immediate future.
Meanwhile, the ANC has tweeted a short video of Mr Ramaphosa – the likely successor to Mr Zuma – and Mandela back in 1990.
It did not go unnoticed by the BBC’s Africa editor Fergal Keane, who appeared to suggest the post could be a subtle dig…
