As Limpopo ANC chairperson Stan Mathabatha’s future as premier is being considered by the party’s top brass, members and alliance partners have called on the governing party to give them feedback on the national executive committee’s (NEC) deliberations on the matter.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in Limpopo and Cosatu said the ANC has kept them in the dark about developments even though alliance structures made submissions to the national working committee (NWC) this month requesting intervention.
Their frustration comes as a political analyst insists that Mathabatha has overstayed his welcome because he leads a province that largely supports President Cyril Ramaphosa and is “not in a position to rely on his service delivery track record”.
Dr Metji Makgoba, a political commentator from the University of Limpopo, said the outcomes of the Nasrec conference in December have put Mathabatha in a precarious position. This is because of his failed attempt to be elected as ANC national chairperson in a slate opposing Ramaphosa.
SACP provincial secretary Chuene Malebana, who presented the submissions on behalf of the two alliance partners, said they have no idea what the ANC’s decision, if any, is.
“There has been no feedback,” Malebana told Sunday World.
Her counterpart at Cosatu, Hangwani Mashao, shares the same sentiment.
“We were not consulted by the ANC NWC on their visit to Limpopo. We would have liked to do so [receive feedback on Mathabatha’s future],” said Mashao.
A provincial ANC leader in Limpopo said they are disappointed by the NEC’s failure to give them feedback about Mathabatha’s future after they made submissions. In his post-NEC media briefing last seek, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said nothing about the matter.
Last week, Sunday World reported that tensions were high when the ANC’s NWC, which included Ramaphosa and Mbalula, visited the province to oversee regional general councils and assess the state of the governing party in the province.
Mbalula had to quell tensions, explaining that those who had substantial concerns about Mathabatha’s performance should make their case. He argued that it was not enough to call for the premier’s head based on his preference for former health minister Zweli Mkhize over Ramaphosa at Nasrec.
Makgoba said Mathabatha’s position was untenable.
“Mathabatha knows that he has overstayed in that position and had initially planned to join the national structures of the ANC. Going for the third term was always going to put him in a precarious position.”
He added that Mathabatha was also not in a position to rely on his service delivery track record.
“His track record in government has not been too strong and cannot be used to support his legitimacy as the premier. He has struggled to deal with corruption and has not
presented any tangible government vision that revived the economy.”
ANC provincial spokesperson Jimmy Machaka said Mathabatha was an elected leader of the party, and had every right to stay in his position.
“Mathabatha’s stay within the ANC leadership was determined by branches during the provincial conference and it’s only branches which (can) question his stay in the organisation and no one else.
“There is no factual accuracy in (the) analysis.”
ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri and her colleague Amos Phago did not answer their phones or respond to text messages on the status of the alliance submissions.
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