The ANC’s elective conference in Mpumalanga last weekend was less a gathering of comrades and more a calculated political conclusion.
It was a quiet, clinical execution of a long-maturing plan to move the province beyond the shadow of its late kingmaker, David “DD” Mabuza.
Inside Mbombela Stadium, unity did not merely prevail. It came with the song of renewal. Outcomes appeared organic, but the choreography suggested something far more intentional. The province applied the very script Mabuza once perfected, now repurposed to retire his legacy.
Mabuza was not just a provincial strongman. He was the high priest of unity politics.
At the ANC’s watershed 2017 Nasrec conference, Mabuza arrived with Mpumalanga delegates who held a single instruction: they would vote for unity, not a name. It was a masterstroke of ambiguity and authority.
When the moment came, that unity tilted decisively towards Cyril Ramaphosa. It earned Mabuza the enduring moniker “Mr Unity” and positioned him as kingmaker in a contest where the Gupta-linked faction backing Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma had expected loyalty to former president Jacob Zuma.
In one move, Mabuza helped deliver Ramaphosa to the Union Buildings and rewrote the balance of power within the ANC.
Nearly a decade later, Mpumalanga has returned to that same political grammar. This time, unity was not used to crown a kingmaker. It was used to bury one.
The conference unfolded with minimal contestation. Provincial chairperson Mandla Ndlovu and his slate moved through nominations with coordinated regional backing, comfortably clearing thresholds and neutralising opposition before they could take shape.
It was unity, but unity with intent.
Former treasurer Mandla Msibi, once a grassroots powerhouse and a loyalist to Mabuza’s political tradition, found himself absent from the initial list. His exclusion was not procedural. It was political.
When his name was eventually introduced from the floor, the moment briefly disrupted the conference’s carefully managed rhythm. The incident followed a premature move by chief electoral officer Thabang Rangoato to close nominations, which led to Mbombela Mayor Sibongile Makhushe-Mazibuko being incorrectly declared elected unopposed.
The error was swiftly corrected by ANC electoral committee chairperson Norah Fakude, restoring order before legal complications could arise.
But the numbers had already spoken. Msibi failed to secure the 194 nominations required to force a contest, effectively ending his challenge before it began.
For insiders, this was not a defeat. It was a design.
For years, Mabuza’s influence lingered in Mpumalanga’s political bloodstream, embedded in structures, loyalties and leadership pathways.
When he died in July 2025, what remained was not power but pockets of loyalty.
Last weekend’s conference appears to have dealt with those remnants decisively.
In his political report, Ndlovu struck a careful balance between acknowledging Mabuza’s role in the province and the path Mpumalanga is now trailblazing.
“We have gathered here as delegates elected by the branches of our movement… Leadership is a responsibility, not a reward. Every comrade entrusted with responsibility must be evaluated and held accountable,” he said.
“We must decisively address factionalism and patronage within our ranks. These tendencies weaken the ANC, erode trust and divert the movement from its historic mission.”
The language was measured. The message was unmistakable.
Mpumalanga was turning the page.
- The ANC’s elective conference in Mpumalanga last weekend was less a gathering of comrades and more a calculated political conclusion.
- It was a quiet, clinical execution of a long-maturing plan to move the province beyond the shadow of its late kingmaker, David “DD” Mabuza.
- Inside Mbombela Stadium, unity did not merely prevail.
- It came with the song of renewal.
- Outcomes appeared organic, but the choreography suggested something far more intentional.
