The Mpumalanga ANC Youth League has launched a bold dual campaign, demanding the removal of an MEC while pushing to elevate ANC deputy provincial chairperson and acting Premier Speedy Mashilo as the party’s next provincial leader.
Last week, when ANC provincial chairperson and premier Mandla Ndlovu was away on official business in China, the youth league members protested outside the provincial
government headquarters in Mbombela.
They then handed a memorandum to cooperative governance, traditional affairs and human settlements MEC Mashilo, who was acting as premier, calling for the immediate removal of community safety, security and liaison MEC Jackie Macie.
In the same breath, the protestors promised to back Mashilo as the next ANC provincial chairperson and, ultimately, the future premier – if he supported their cause, a move that signals that the league may not support Ndlovu for a second term.
“We will deliver you as premier!” they shouted, signalling a seismic shift brewing within Mpumalanga politics, right under Ndlovu’s nose.
At the heart of the movement is a growing sense among young leaders that Ndlovu and his
inner circle have abandoned the youth after consolidating power, mired them in poverty while entrenched political families thrive.
ANCYL provincial chairperson Bethuel Zunguza didn’t mince words: “Our people are suffering in townships. Transformation must not be a song,” he declared, demanding a stronger youth presence in the provincial executive.
Wesley Kgang, the ANCYL’s national spokesperson and NEC member, unleashed a scathing critique of Ndlovu’s cabinet.
“Down with sellouts! Down with old people in government!” Kgang thundered. “Away with pensioner MECs!”
He accused the province’s elders of exploiting young people during elections, only to discard them after victory.
“We are perplexed that when young people of the ANC come here, the premier becomes
occupied,” Kgang said.
“It leaves a lot to be desired in this critical month of young people.”
With biting sarcasm, he added, “We are certain wherever the premier is, he is in an air-conditioned restaurant or boardroom with people he deems better than these unemployed people.”
Turning his attention to Macie, Kgang laid out the youth league’s political strategy.
“Now that the premier is not here, do the right thing and assist him,” he urged
Mashilo. “With your authority as acting premier, call a press
conference.”
To thunderous applause, Kgang declared Macie unfit and demanded his replacement
with Zunguza.
“You have seen that comrade Jackie has drastically failed to lead among your good selves,” he said. “Let us give you a young person in the form of the youth league chairperson. Unlike KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, we are not in a government of provincial unity. Remove
Jackie and replace him with Bethuel Zunguza.”
Kgang’s appeal grew more daring: “We have given you a solution, comrade acting
premier. We are confident in your leadership,” he said.
“Don’t be like the rest. Show us there’s a future in you.
Contradict your boss. Call a media conference and present what we are advising.”
Beneath the protest’s surface, it was clear: this was a succession plot, positioning Mashilo as the alternative to the entrenched leadership bloc rooted in the Ehlanzeni region – Ndlovu’s base.
Macie, a prominent figure in Ehlanzeni and loyal to Ndlovu, has become the campaign’s
central target. This includes a parallel social media offensive, where unsubstantiated but widely shared claims link Macie to financial impropriety, luxury vehicles, and tender irregularities in a multi-billion rand security contract.
Though lacking proof, these allegations have taken root in the climate of mistrust
and frustration among unemployed youth.
Caught between party loyalty and opportunity, Mashilo responded with careful diplomacy.
“In the name of the premier, Comrade Mandla Ndlovu, I have accepted your memorandum,” he told the crowd. “The premier is in China because of the unemployment we are facing as a province.”
He defended Ndlovu against accusations of being out of touch.
“Never think the premier is somewhere drinking something,” Mashilo said. “He is working hard, responding to the very problems you complain about.”
Maintaining composure among the protestors, Mashilo promised to present the memorandum to the executive.
But when it came to the demand for political deployment, he was non-committal.
“Don’t be in a hurry,” Mashilo said, sharing a laugh with Zunguza. “That is an ANC deployment matter.”
As for MEC Macie, he declined to comment on calls for his removal.
