A lot is happening in the ANC in Limpopo, and the centre is not holding. And the unprecedented decision by provincial chairperson Stan Mathabatha confirms just that.
This scribe last week penned a piece pointing out the need to arrest the chaos in ANC Limpopo to save the ANC nationally.
Mathabatha’s Monday night decision to announce to the ANC Top Seven that he was stepping aside in protest thus did not come as a surprise.
Decision and timing
However, the decision itself and the timing thereof, let alone the wording of the letter, stand to be interrogated within full political context.
And Mathabatha, as the chairperson of the ANC in Limpopo, cannot plead ignorance over the decay he alludes to. As if he found it the way it is without playing an active role.
It will be extreme gullibility to just drink in what Mathabatha is saying without question and apply proper tools of analysis on the situation that forced a senior cadre like him to go to such extremes.
It is now common knowledge to everyone that the war between ANC provincial chairperson hopefuls — Premier Phophi Ramathuba and Polokwane mayor John Mpe — is in full combat mode.
And It has moved to different stages. The previous having been heightened propaganda smear campaigns against one another by both sides.
Battle reached boiling point
That was before the battle reached boiling point this past weekend at a political level. With the Waterberg regional conference firing the first warning shot.
The region, after its elective conference that concluded business on Tuesday, became the first to openly declare Ramathuba as its preferred candidate to succeed Mathabatha.
This while the Sekhukhune region, at the regional general council (RGC) this past weekend, was also characterised by pro-Ramathuba posturing, including slogans and songs.
It would be foolhardy to assume that Mathabatha is an innocent bystander in all the unfolding drama.
It is natural instinct, or better yet, established political culture for an incumbent to have a person in mind that they would like to take over the baton from them, and those they would do anything to stop from ascending.
History is full of these examples, but let us, for relevance, stick to the ANC of Mathabatha.
We all know how former ANC President Thabo Mbeki tried to stop Jacob Zuma from succeeding him and instead position Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, but it failed.
History repeating itself
Zuma was to commit the same error, doing everything he could to block Cyril Ramaphosa from emerging in favour of Dlamini-Zuma. Again, the mission flopped.
Now the question is, who does Mathabatha want as his successor in Limpopo? And is his move to step aside from his post part of a grand plan and political manoeuvre to tilt the scales in favour of his preferred candidate — Mpe?
Only time will tell, but there are important historical facts to be highlighted in this regard.
It is a fact that of all the current regional chairpersons in Limpopo, Mathabatha has a close relationship with Mpe.
Moreover, it is a fact that Mathabatha went to address the recent regional conference in the Peter Mokaba region, which re-elected Mpe.
Festival of chairs
He did that despite the conference being characterised by chaos, dubbed a festival of chairs after delegates degenerated to new lows by throwing chairs at each other.
A man of Mathabatha’s “strong values” would not risk his “integrity” like that unless he was endorsing the outcome of that conference, which was investigated by an ANC national executive committee (NEC) task team whose report is gathering dust at Luthuli House.
It is also interesting to note that Mathabatha, in his protest letter to the ANC national officials, mentions “misconduct and lack of ANC values” as what pushed him to the edge. But interestingly, only as it pertains to the Vhembe and Waterberg regional conferences, when the Peter Mokaba conference was also highly questionable. With serious questions on ANC values and widespread allegations of misconduct.
Mathabatha is also mute on complaints over the Norman Mashabane regional conference, which he also graced with his presence and addressed.
Mathabatha boycotted both the Vhembe and Waterberg regional conferences, both regions support Ramathuba.
And his actions further beg the question, why now, only when the balance of forces appears to be favouring Ramathuba, whose premiership candidature, by the way, Mathabatha fiercely opposed?
Selective morality
One thing for sure, though, Mathabatha is raising concerns about the state of affairs in the province that many have raised, this scribe included.
But his selective morality must be exposed at every turn. It remains to be seen how the ANC national officials will handle this situation before it gets out of control and rears its head in other provinces.
