With only a few days to go before the ANC Eastern Cape goes to its 9th provincial conference, all attention has shifted to Eastern Cape public works and infrastructure MEC Babalo Madikizela.
Questions are being raised over whether he will go ahead to contest Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane or withdraw his candidacy to consolidate President Cyril Ramaphosa’s support in the province.
The two former allies became rivals when it became clear that Madikizela is contesting Mabuyane for provincial chairperson, despite denying he would do so.
A week ago, Madikizela was summoned to a meeting with Ramaphosa to clarify his position on supporting CR22 while also working with Ramaphosa’s opponents, the radical economic transformation (RET) forces.
While Mabuyane has been consistent in his support for Ramaphosa, some view Madikizela’s public endorsement of Ramaphosa’s re-election as mere lip service. Since embarking on a campaign to lead the Eastern Cape, he has teamed up with staunch RET forces such as suspended Amathole region secretary Teris Ntutu and former youth league leader Andile Lungisa.
Madikizela is also known to be a close ally of former health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize and some believe that once Mkhize’s campaign to unseat Ramaphosa gathers momentum, Madikizela will switch allegiances.
An ANC insider who spoke on condition of anonymity said Ramaphosa advised Madikizela not to contest Mabuyane at the conference, which is due to start on Friday and end on Sunday, but work with him on solidifying the CR22 campaign.
The ANC insider said: “He requested time to consult. He has been crisscrossing the province talking to his forces and he will be meeting the president again before the conference.”
The insider said it will be difficult for Madikizela to abandon his campaign at this stage because the RET forces are urging him not to back off.
Another insider said Madikizela is prepared to abandon his campaign only if the faction led by Mabuyane offers him the position of a deputy provincial chairperson, which will elevate him to being a provincial leader should Mabuyane’s campaign for a position in the ANC top six in December succeed.
Said the insider: “The Mabuyane camp is only prepared to accept him back to his former role as the provincial treasurer.
“He is too late to negotiate for the deputy chair because it is quite clear that they don’t have enough numbers to take the conference.
“He refused to negotiate at the beginning of his campaign because after being pronounced by four regions, they thought they would draw more supporters in Chris Hani and [Dr WB] Rubusana but they got only a few disgruntled opportunists who don’t really have influence at branch level.”
Mabuyane has been saying Madikizela was enticed by people who don’t want to see an ANC renewal and who only wanted the support of the party in the Eastern Cape to achieve their goals.
Commenting on his meeting with Ramaphosa, Madikizela said they have been eager to meet each other since early this year. He denied being advised not to stand against Mabuyane and that Ramaphosa had told him about the importance of having a united Eastern Cape in the ANC’s 55th conference and that their political differences with Mabuyane should not destabilise the provincial government and the ANC.
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