Limpopo ANC chairperson Stanley Mathabatha narrowly dodged a meeting which many believe could have marked the beginning of his end as premier.
This following his fallout with President Cyril Ramaphosa over his support for Zweli Mkhize’s failed bid to be party president at the Nasrec conference in
December.
According to correspondence from ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, which Sunday World has seen, the national working committee (NWC) of the ANC was expected to oversee regional general councils (RGCs) in the province this weekend.
The RGC work was expected to be followed by a meeting with Mathabatha and his provincial executive committee.
“NWC members are expected to arrive in Limpopo on Saturday, 25 March 2023 and to visit regions on Sunday, 26 March 2023.
“The SGO [secretary-general office] is aware that a number of NWC members and NEC deployees are attending the ANC caucus workshop on 24 – 26 March 2023. The SGO is engaging the office of the chief whip in this regard,” said Mbalula in his letter to the Limpopo leadership, dated March 16.
The meeting was cancelled at the 11th hour due to an ongoing ANC parliamentary caucus lekgotla that is running until tomorrow in Midrand.
Mathabatha was the first ANC provincial chairperson to publicly endorse Ramaphosa for a second term, which he did at the 2022 January 8 celebrations in Polokwane, against the protocols of the liberation movement.
While his stance drew criticism from staunch ANC members and Ramaphosa detractors, it made him appear to be one of the president’s strongest loyalists.
The cosy relationship was short-lived when Mathabatha made a U-turn and attempted to persuade Limpopo delegates to join his sudden allegiance to Mkhize. This resulted in him being booed at the party’s January 8 celebrations in Sekhukhune.
Sources who spoke to Sunday World on condition of anonymity highlighted that this weekend’s NWC visit to oversee RGCs was going to be used as a launchpad for a bigger strategy to remove Mathabatha.
The sources said the NWC planned to meet with Mathabatha and other top five leaders to discuss the state of the ANC in the province as pressure mounts for him to resign as premier.
They said some ANC leaders are pushing for Mathabatha’s removal, citing his alleged loss of support within party structures and his decision to appoint as MECs leaders who have been implicated in the VBS scandal.
Former Vhembe mayor and current deputy chairperson Florence Radzilani and provincial treasurer Nakedi Sibanda-Kekana were appointed in the last provincial cabinet reshuffle even though they have not successfully challenged advocate Terry Motau’s damning report against them.
“The leaders wanted to meet the Top 5 in order to assess the state of the ANC in the province. This comes at the backdrop of the January 8 celebrations, which had been initially scheduled to be held in the Waterberg region.
“When Mathabatha and his key people realised they might not have warm reception in Waterberg, they opted for his home region of Sekhukhune, where he was booed. He was not allowed to introduce the deployees of the ANC,” said the source.
The ANC insider said since the booing incident, Mathabatha had grown “cold feet” when it comes to public events.
“There was Human Rights Day on the 21st, for the first time in his history he delegated an MEC.
“On Friday, we marked World TB Day and he was [supposed to be] the keynote speaker there, but he did not show up. Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba eventually delivered the address.”
Attempts to contact Mathabatha have proven unfruitful.
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