Limpopo MEC for arts, sports, and culture Thandi Moraka has been lobbied by a new faction to contest the position of ANC deputy provincial chairperson.
Moraka, who is a former ANC Youth League national deputy secretary, will go toe to toe with incumbent deputy chairperson Florence Radzilani and ANC Norman Mashabane region chairperson Pule Shayi when the party holds its elective conference at the Ranch Hotel on June 3.
Radzilani will be trying to retain her position on the slate of the current party provincial chairperson and premier, Stan Mathabatha, who is seeking a third term, while Shayi is on the slate of public works MEC Dickson Masemola, who wants to topple Mathabatha.
If elected, Moraka stands a good chance of becoming Limpopo’s first female premier as the constitution does not allow Mathabatha, who is likely to be re-elected, to become premier again as he has already served two terms in that position.
A senior ANC member, who did not want to be named, said Moraka was lobbied by a faction from her home region of Waterberg to contest the position.
The member said though Waterberg is the smallest of the five regions in the province, it is among the most influential as it is the home of many party think tanks.
The member said what also gave Moraka the upper hand was that Radzilani and Meriam Kekana-Sibanda, who is also on the slate of Mathabatha, were both implicated in the VBS scandal. Moraka confirmed that she has been approached to throw her name in the hat.
“It will be disrespectful to defy all regions to contest after they have shown their confidence in me. I’m happy that members of the ANC nominated me in all regions which I appreciated and accepted.”
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