But Mashatile has never been part of the Zuma faction, no idea what gives rietrot the idea, Mashatile is one of the NEC leaders who was very decisive that Zuma must get out of Mahlamba Ndlopfu when Cyril and the others were trying to be diplomatic with the Nkandla Thief.
Mashatile was part of the Gauteng leadership collective that was fully behind Cyril, perhaps the thing that confuses people is that no one has foreseen the outcome of him emerging as a deputy President because he wasn't on Cyril's slate for that position, the fact that he did doesn't automatically turn him into an Ace Magashule or some other Zuptoid.