Constitutionally, if President Cyril Ramaphosa had resigned last week, the immediate acting president would most likely have been Paul Mashatile as deputy president, until Parliament elected a new president. Politically, however, the question of who should succeed him is far more complicated. Within the ANC, Mashatile is widely seen as the natural successor because ANC deputy presidents have historically gone on to become presidents with critics questioning whether he represents renewal or simply continuity within the ANC establishment. But after years of corruption scandals, coalition instability, unemployment and service delivery failures, many South Africans appear less interested in party loyalty and more concerned with competence, accountability and trust. We speak to some of our listeners and contributors as we unpack who they think should have succeeded the president.